Fire and Ice
by CyanKitten1
Summary: When a man is brought to his leader's bunker for the first time, he meets two people - one of which that could change his life. This isn't canon in my world, so basically an AU. If you ever want my canon story, send me a message.
1. Chapter 1

"You mean … you can get me a job as a general for our leader?" The man, with his wavy gray hair and robust figure, felt his heart lurch and his eyes widen as he stared at the man in front of him.

He had been a general for quite some time, but not for the Führer - rather, he had been a general in Russia, the attache in Moscow. For a while, he had been itching to climb up in the ranks. Sitting in a chair in Moscow, surrounded by several Soviets, just wouldn't do. He had put up with it for too long, and felt as if he would explode if he had to speak in Russian one more time.

As of now, Germany was ravaged by war. Several people had been trying to unite the land, but there were uprisings everywhere. It never seemed to stop. Battles raged left and right, fighting for control of the land and peace for the country. Krebs wanted to do everything he could to help his regime to unite the territory, but he wasn't sure if he could do it by sitting idly in Russia.

The bald man in front of him, known as General Jodl, was short, with a glaring head. He was chubby, with piercing eyes and broad shoulders. He tugged his collar, and nodded. "I think so. He needs more people to guide him. I can't stay with him all the time. But there's something you should know. The person, who basically is the second highest ranking in the military, will be around him very often, and he's kind of a dick."

"I've dealt with those before," the first man grumbled, glancing at his feet.

Jodl rolled his eyes. "Not this one, I can guarantee you that." He glanced back at the building behind him, which was a concrete bunker. "I'm going to introduce you to the Führer. He's a bad tempered, ranting old fool. Just … don't get on his bad side, all right?"

"All right." The man followed Jodl into the bunker, and the two picked their way down crowded stairs. Several people were in the bunker, not seeming to pay attention to a new recruit. All they did was brush against the two men, not giving them so much as a second glance.

Jodl leaned into the man's' ear. "It's usually like this," he hissed. "Get used to it."

The man, sweating and cramped, just nodded. He continued to navigate his way through the maze of people until Jodl led him into another hallway. In the hallway stood an unusually tall man with wide shoulders and hair thick with gel. His face held a stoic gaze as he gazed at the two. "Is this our new general?" he asked.

Jodl nodded. "Günsche, meet General Krebs. Krebs, meet Günsche."

Günsche walked over to Krebs. "Pleasure to meet you," he said, shaking Krebs' hand.

"And you," Krebs said.

"He's basically Hitler's informer," Jodl explained. "Hitler likes to get his rage out on him."

Krebs glanced at Jodl. "What do you mean?"

"I'm his scapegoat," Günsche clarified.

"And you … you let that?" Krebs turned to Günsche.

Günsche shrugged. "It does not bother me."

"Huh." Krebs tipped his head. _He seems really laid back. Maybe we could be friends._ "Well, good to meet you."

"Let me introduce you to the Führer."

Krebs turned to Jodl questioningly. Jodl nodded. "Anything to get me away from him." Without waiting for another comment from either Krebs or Günsche, Jodl spun away and disappeared into the bunker's hallway. Krebs let out a small sigh, his shoulders slumping.

"Are you all right?" Günsche asked, concern twinging his voice.

"What?" Krebs looked up. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just tired."

"If you're not okay, you can tell me," Günsche said.

"I'm really fine," Krebs insisted.

Günsche narrowed his eyes. "All right. Let's go, then." He led Krebs down the hallway and in front of a door against the walls. He knocked on the door, but when there was no response, he pushed it open. He held the door for Krebs, who walked in first.

In front of him, the Führer sat down in a chair, a map laid out in the desk in front of him. His dark brown hair swept over his face, and his eyes were screwed on the map as he studied it intently. When the door opened, he lifted his head, and Krebs knew that from his short, square shaped mustache, that this was Hitler.

"What the hell, Günsche?" Hitler's eyes seemed to shoot flames. "I told you to never interrupt me while I'm looking for Berlin."

"Apologies, my Führer," Günsche said.

"Who's this bumbling idiot?" Hitler glanced at Krebs. "Did I give permission for him to come in the bunker? Do you want your head on a silver plate, Günsche?"

Günsche didn't seem fazed by Hitler's attitude, although Krebs had to stop himself from shrinking away. "This is the new general you asked for. His name is General Krebs, and he will be serving you as the Chief of Staff."

"Oh, I completely forgot I asked for a new chief. Guderian's an idiot." Hitler got up, brushing against a man with slick dirty blonde hair. Krebs couldn't ignore how the blonde haired man was fixing him with a dark, disapproving blue glare.

"Hello, my Führer," Krebs greeted Hitler as he walked over to him. "I'm willing to serve you."

"So you should be," Hitler said. "I've got two rules for you. Don't be a fucking idiot, and don't be the reason why I get mad. Got it?"

"Got it," Krebs said.

"Good." Hitler glanced at the general behind him, who was still glaring at Krebs. When Hitler's gaze focused on him, he looked up. "That's General Burgdorf."

"Hi," Krebs greeted Burgdorf, hoping for a friendly welcome.

Instead, Burgdorf snorted. "Why do you look like you'll mess up already?"

 _Ouch. This is the guy Jodl was talking about._ Hitler paid no attention to Burgdorf's bitter attitude, and gestured to another man next to Burgdorf. He had sunken eyes with protruding cheekbones, and he was dressed in a yellow uniform. Krebs had to stop himself from gasping at the man's skeletal appearance. "This is Goebbels, or as I like to call him, Skeletor."

Goebbels dipped his head respectfully to Krebs. Hitler was quiet for a few moments, before nodding to Burgdorf. "Show him his room."

Burgdorf narrowed his eyes, obviously less than pleased, but he didn't seem to want to argue. _Don't wanna get on Hitler's bad side, do you?_ He walked over to Krebs, not even giving him so much as a glance, and left the room. Krebs trotted after him.

 _Maybe I should try to talk to him. I don't want to get on his bad side either._ "So … uh, your name's Burgdorf, right?" Krebs asked.

"Are you deaf?" Burgdorf's voice was curt.

"N-no … I just wanted to confirm." Krebs winced. _Bad start._

"Yes, that's my name." Burgdorf still didn't look at him.

"What do you do?"

Burgdorf halted, finally looking at him. "You're just confirming that you're a fool."

"But I'm curious." Krebs gazed up at him, refusing to be intimidated by his burning stare. "What's your role with the war going on?"

Burgdorf snorted. "I take care of it. Hitler can't do it anymore, he focuses his life on ranting and rambling. I'm the one who's directing all of these battles. Who do you think is fighting it, or organizing the front lines?"

Krebs' eye twitched.

Burgdorf went on. "Now, shut up and stop asking questions. I'm only putting up with you because I have to, and I doubt you'll even last a month. Foolish boy."

 _Boy?_ Krebs bit his lip to keep himself from lashing out at the bad tempered general. Burgdorf continued to be silent until he led him to his room. He opened the door, walking in first. He flickered the light, to show Krebs a medium sized room with a full sized bed in the middle, and nothing else.

"This is your room," Burgdorf said. "Bye." With a small snort, the general turned his head on Krebs and walked away.

Krebs watched him, and when he was gone, he collapsed on his bed. _Jesus Christ. I just met with one of the nicest guys I've ever known, and one of the rudest. Huh. But maybe there's an actual person behind that mask of Burgdorf's … maybe he really isn't a prick. But for now, he's an absolute dick._

However, something told Krebs that he wanted to know this general even more.


	2. Chapter 2

The pounding of artillery smashed through Krebs' eardrums and woke him up. His eyes flickered open as he blearily focused himself on getting out of bed. His muscles screeched with exhaustion, but he knew he couldn't be late on his first day of work. He knew that Hitler would have his head on a plate.

Krebs changed into his general uniform, and headed out the door. He paused as he heard a voice when he was out.

"Hey. Hey, kid."

It was a voice that Krebs did not know - however, he had only met five people in the bunker. He turned to see a man with gleaming blue eyes and a round face. "You there. What's your name?"

"Uh …" Krebs, not wanting to get on anyone's bad side today, decided to answer. "I'm Krebs."

"The Failüre's new general?" The man's face lit with interest.

"The … the Failüre?" Krebs echoed. _How can anyone speak so disrespectfully of him?_

"Yeah." The man seemed to read Krebs' surprise. "He's a huge failure, that's why I call him that. Wanna help me with something?"

Krebs was silent, unable to find words.

"Great. I take silence as a yes. Come on, follow me." The man walked past Krebs and into the hallway. Krebs wasn't sure if he should follow him, but when he heard the man urging him once more, he decided to give in.

"What are we doing?" Krebs asked when he caught up with the man. "And who are you?"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Fegelein. I'm the antics master here, and I'm invincible! So don't you dare try anything with me, got it?" Fegelein turned to look at him.

"Got it," Krebs said. _Invincible? No one can be that._

"Good, good. Okay, here's what I'm gonna do." Fegelein handed Krebs a large box, dropping it in the palms of his hands. "Inside this box are a ton of bees. You and I are gonna work together to get into his room, and once we release the bees, we'll run straight out and lock the door."

"Lock the door?" Krebs stared at him. "But he could get hurt."

Fegelein rolled his eyes. "Fine, we'll keep the door open."

"But are you sure we can do this? What if I get in trouble?" Nervousness itched Krebs' heart, and it wasn't exactly his goal to get fired the first day.

"Don't worry. I won't let him know you were in on it." Humor glowed in Fegelein's eyes, and Krebs had a hard time wondering how anyone could enjoy themselves when a brutal war was still going on. _Especially this guy._

"This doesn't seem right," Krebs grumbled.

"All I need is some help, that's it. I'm not gonna force you to do anything else, and I won't even tell him you were involved in it, all right?"

Krebs sighed. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

"You're gonna hold the door open for me while I pour these bees in, and we're both gonna run out and shut it. No, we won't lock it," he added as Krebs' mouth opened, "but I do want him to get stung a good few times."

"But what about me?"

"He won't kill you, I won't tell him. So stop worrying. Here, I've got the box. You open the door carefully, and we've got to close it really quick. Let's go!" In a flash, Fegelein was running towards Hitler's room. He opened the door, and Krebs scampered after him.

Fegelein lifted the lid off of the box that held the bees, and the flashing yellow creatures instantly swarmed out of the box, buzzing furiously. Fegelein ran back, gesturing to Krebs, and Krebs made sure the both of them were out before shutting the door. Fegelein ran away, and Krebs followed him. The two ran until they reached the planning room, and Krebs skidded to a halt, breathing heavily.

Fegelein watched him with a glint in his eyes. "First time you've run in a while?" he asked cheekily.

Krebs looked up. "That's the first time I've helped someone put bees in my boss' room."

"Thanks for the help. Now, just wait for a few minutes. The result is always the best part." Fegelein lifted his chin, and Krebs waited next to him.

An earsplitting screech ripped through the bunker, followed by yelps of pain and a flood of curse words. Another scream ran through the bunker.

" _Fegelein!_ "

Fegelein broke into a fit of laughter. "That's my cue. Gotta go!" In a few seconds, he was gone, past the hallway. Krebs watched him, puzzled. He shook his head. _What even goes on in here?_

Krebs headed to the planning room. Hitler would probably be late, considering he was stuck in a room full with bees. When he stepped in the planning room, it was empty. Krebs tugged at his collar nervously.

The door swung open behind him, and Krebs turned around to recognize Günsche.

"Early, huh?" Günsche asked, walking over to the general. He towered over him, making Krebs feel rather uneasy.

"Yeah," Krebs replied. "I have a feeling Hitler may be late."

Günsche pricked his ears as a new scream echoed through the hallways. "Perhaps."

The door opened again, and this time, it was Burgdorf who came in. The general turned his scorching glare on Krebs. "Still here?" he scowled.

"Still here," Krebs retorted.

"I'm holding onto my bet that you won't last a month."

Günsche sighed. "Burgdorf."

"What?" Burgdorf turned to Günsche. "What a foolish idiot."

Krebs gritted his teeth.

"There is no need to talk like that."

"Don't tell me what to do," Burgdorf hissed. "I'm of a higher rank than you, in case you forgot."

"You make it quite hard to forget," Günsche said.

"Wait, what are you again?" Krebs asked.

"I guess you didn't understand what I said last time," Burgdorf snarled.

Günsche leaned into Krebs' ear. "Basically, he's the second to the Führer, war wise. If anything, he's controlling the war."

"I know the boy's deaf, but I'm not!" Burgdorf snapped.

 _Boy?_ Krebs felt the hairs on his neck bristle. _Call me that one more time …_

"Goddammit!" The air, once thick with tension, was immediately broken as a disheveled Hitler broke his way into the room. There were several stings on his face and his hands, and his blue eyes were burning with pain. "My plan right now is to kill Fegelein. Everyone, sit your asses down. We're getting rid of that menace once and for all."

"I'm sure you'd want some privacy for that," Burgdorf said smoothly. "I'll be going. Günsche?" He glanced at the tall man behind him.

Günsche nodded. "Right behind you."

 _They're close, even though they're complete opposites._ Günsche turned to Krebs. "You coming?"

Burgdorf snorted. "Really?"

"I think it would be a good idea," Günsche said.

"Damn you." With a scoff, Burgdorf turned away. "Better be worth it, Günsche, or I'll have you killed."

"Is Burgdorf dead yet?" Jodl's voice echoed through the room as he entered. Burgdorf had already left.

Günsche glanced at Jodl as he scampered in. "Burgdorf has yet to catch up to death, Jodl."

"Is that so?" Jodl curled his lip. "Maybe he should run faster."

Krebs stifled a chuckle. "Maybe don't let him hear you say that. He'll have you killed."

"That I can confirm," Günsche said. "Catching on fast, I see."

Krebs shrugged. "It isn't hard to tell that he's kind of a jerk."

"You get used to it. Just don't talk bad around him … or about him, at all, actually." Günsche led both Krebs and Jodl to the room where Burgdorf had went to. Günsche pushed the door open, with Krebs behind him, and Burgdorf's head snapped around, his blue eyes boiling.

"The War Council is here? Made of you three? One being a new recruit?" He sniffed disapprovingly.

Krebs sighed.

This was gonna be a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

"So, what are the updates?" Burgdorf asked Günsche as he laid over a large map of Germany. Günsche walked over to him, with Jodl shadowing him.

"There has been a rebellion staged at Trier, but our armies crushed them quickly. However, there is a worrying cause in Frankfurt … the uprisings are nonstop. The troops there are having a hard time fending them off. We may need to send in more reinforcements, and we may need to join ourselves."

Burgdorf bit his lip. "How bad is it?"

"Bad enough to get Hitler worried," Günsche replied grimly.

"What if we were able to send a few reinforcements from Würzburg?" Krebs piped up. "We don't need as many troops as we have there right now. Frankfurt could use the help from there."

Burgdorf swung his head around to glare at Krebs. "And what exactly do you know?" he snarled. "Nothing about war."

"I'm a general!" Krebs protested.

"But not a general in this war we're talking about. You do not know what you are talking about. This is different, different from any war that has been fought. Würzburg needs those armies right now because there is a chance of rebellion at any second. If the troops were to be diverted, the rebellion would rise quicker and easier, diminishing our chances there. Utterly pathetic. Think before you speak!" Burgdorf's words echoed in the air, and Krebs shrank down. _I was just trying to help! And he explodes on me!_

There was silence in the room after Burgdorf's outburst, and then he spoke again. "Hmph."

 _Brat._

Jodl cleared his throat. "Um … going on … all right, so, our biggest worry right now is Frankfurt, and I've been getting reports from the front at Dortmund that there's an issue there as well."

Burgdorf squared his shoulders. "Send out two hundred troops to each town."

"We have that many?" Jodl's eyes widened.

"Yes, and several more. Backups. Where have you been, you fool?" Burgdorf turned away from Jodl. "If that's all, then leave."

"Yes, sir," Jodl muttered, walking away from Burgdorf and heading out of the room, leaving Günsche, Krebs, and Burgdorf behind.

Günsche glanced at Burgdorf. "It's all right to send those many troops out?"

"Are you doubting me?" Burgdorf's eyes flared.

"No, I'm not. I was just wondering if it was okay." Günsche's words were smooth, and he seemed to calm down Burgdorf, as his fury was dying down.

"Of course it is. I know what I'm doing." Burgdorf crossed his arms. He turned to Krebs. "And you …"

Krebs met his glare. _I'm not afraid of you._ Although, to be honest, he _was_ trembling under the blazing blue glare of the higher ranking general.

"Don't cross my path again, especially with your foolish ideas. Do your job - sit there and listen, and preferably shut up while you're at it. Now, I'm gonna go. But I'll be back to hear of the updates." In a second, Burgdorf was out the door, with Günsche and Krebs watching him.

Krebs cleared his throat as he was out. "Uh … so that's normal?"

"Normal," Günsche echoed. "Yes." He turned to face Krebs. "Now that we're alone, I haven't had much of a chance to get your background. Can I ask … what's your story?"

Krebs tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Like … I just wanna know about you. Tell me about yourself. Your past, why you're here …"

Krebs bit his lip, thinking. "Well, the reason I'm a general is because I've always wanted to help unite the country. My father died in a war before my time, but it was about the same thing, uniting our country. I know there are several rebellions around here, but I truly think Hitler and his staff can stop it, and bring Germany to what it used to be."

Günsche met Krebs' gaze. "You sure think highly of us, then," he murmured after a few seconds.

"I do," Krebs confirmed.

"Do you think it was a mistake coming here?" Günsche inquired. "I know you already had a few rough encounters."

"It's only my first day," Krebs reminded Günsche. He thought back to Hitler's rough welcome, Burgdorf's bitter attitude, and the antic he had been forced to help Fegelein with. "It's been … eventful."

"Not the best?" Günsche asked.

Krebs shrugged. "I don't know. Just … uh, tiring?"

"Hmm, I can imagine so." Günsche let out a small smile, while Krebs could only wonder about what life in the bunker would turn out to be.

"So … uh, Burgdorf, over there? I don't wanna get on his bad side forever," Krebs told Günsche.

Günsche fixed him with a piercing gaze. "Go talk to him when he's not in a bad mood, which he was today. He is hard to get along with, but in the end, I am sure it will be worth it."

Krebs dipped his head. "All right." He turned around and started to head for where the general had disappeared, faintly aware of Günsche's voice behind him.

"I didn't mean now!"

But it was too late. Krebs already was on his mission to befriend the most mysterious man of the bunker. He wondered where he went. _The council room, maybe? I think he wants to be alone when he plans himself._ Shrugging, Krebs headed towards where the planning room was - Jodl had shown him earlier - it was the one Hitler didn't use.

Sure enough, the blonde haired general was there, glancing at a map. He was muttering to himself. "Weimar should be okay for now … I haven't heard of any rebellions there. Someone would report it if there was."

Krebs let out a cough, and Burgdorf's head snapped around.

"You!" he snarled. "What do you want, kid?"

 _New nicknames everyday!_ Krebs took a deep breath. "I just wanted to … uh, ask you how you were doing?"

"Oh my God." Burgdorf's blue eyes bore into Krebs, sizzling. "Get out."

"Look, we're gonna be living together for quite some time," Krebs said, exasperated. "And I don't want to be fighting with you all the time."

"It won't be fighting if you leave me alone." Burgdorf squared his shoulders.

"Yeah, but I just wanted to be friends," Krebs explained feebly.

"Is that so." Burgdorf tilted his head. "Well, let me tell you, kid, _friends_ don't exist. There's only one person in the world you can rely on, and that's yourself." His eyes flashed briefly. "And maybe one other - a retainer, I guess. Nobody else, though."

 _I know there's some way to get to you!_ "At least let me help you out," Krebs pressed.

Burgdorf narrowed his blue eyes. "If you're so insistent on it …" he murmured. "All right. Get me another map."

"A map? Where?"

"Where do you think?" Burgdorf glared at him. "Behind you, fool."

"Oh." Krebs spun around to see a table full of maps. "Which one?" As he gazed at the maps, he felt his heart skip a beat. He walked over to them, brushing his hands over them. The amount of information the maps contained was somewhat intimidating. There was something about them … the beauty, the clarity, the knowledge in them.

"Hello? Did you get it?" Burgdorf's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Did you say something?" Krebs had been so lost in the maps that he hadn't heard Burgdorf at first.

Burgdorf sighed. "I told you to get the one of Frankfurt. Come on. Don't be useless."

Krebs grumbled, but grabbed the map of Frankfurt and padded over to Burgdorf, laying it on the table. Burgdorf hissed as Krebs' body brushed against his side. "Don't touch me!"

"Sorry!" Krebs exclaimed. "I didn't mean to."

"Maintain a good distance away from me," Burgdorf snarled. "If you so much come any closer to me than you are right now, I promise I will snap your neck. And if you touch me, I will slit your throat. Understand?"

Krebs glanced at the ground. "Understood," he muttered.

"Good." Burgdorf gazed at the map, studying it intently. Krebs, taking Burgdorf's threat to heart, stepped away from him, but also kept an eye on the map. Burgdorf's gaze was following all of the back roads in Frankfurt. Was he planning on keeping the troops there? But why? They could be easily trapped - if they didn't move quickly.

"Where do you want to keep the troops?" Krebs asked, wary of a sharp response from the general. But Burgdorf seemed too interested in the map to flash back a retort to Krebs.

"I want them to get to where the thickest fighting is through the back streets," Burgdorf explained, pointing to the map. "Except I don't know what Frankfurt will do - they're smart, they know their city. I believe they'll keep fighters in the streets, hiding behind things we don't know are there. That, or they kept all of their fighters in the city. They know we're coming for them, though. Either they have reserves somewhere, and they're replacing people as they go, or they're using all of their men. But our troops don't know the city as well. We'd have to provide them with a map, and I just hope they can look at it quickly and decide where they want to go. Time is of essence. They have to get to the city quickly before it falls into resistance hands. I want as little casualties as possible, which is why I'm sending them through the back roads."

Krebs nodded approvingly. _Smart._ "I think that's a good idea."

"I don't need your opinion." Burgdorf snatched the map in his hands and left the room, without so much as a nod to Krebs.

Krebs sighed, watching him go.

This was gonna be harder than he thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Krebs was padding next to Günsche, straight after Burgdorf's harsh words towards him. They were outside of the bunker, taking in the air of the world around them. Krebs had needed a break from the hostility and the stuffiness in the bunker, so he had asked Günsche to take a walk with him. Krebs kept his gaze ahead, while he explained what had happened to his friend.

"He acted like that?" Günsche asked after Krebs finished his story. He didn't seem surprised, which also didn't shock Krebs.

"Yeah." Krebs' heart pricked, still feeling the sting of the general's words as he reflected on the words that had been thrown at him. _Am I not good enough? I know I'm new, but …_ "Really rude."

Günsche skidded to a halt, and Krebs gazed into his eyes. After Burgdorf's hostility, it was like cold water on a searing day. "He usually acts like that, but it is no excuse. My apologies."

"You don't have to apologize for him," Krebs said. "I'll just get over it. Maybe it's not worth it." He stepped back, suddenly realizing that Günsche was Burgdorf's most important retainer. _Jodl told me that, and when Burgdorf said there was only one person he could trust, he meant Günsche …_ Günsche had been apologizing for Burgdorf constantly, and had been the only one to talk to Burgdorf without getting a harsh retort snapped back at him.

"Are you all right?" Günsche's concerned question snapped Krebs out of his thoughts.

"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine." Krebs shook himself. _Don't think about it._ "The troops are departing for the front line in a few days."

"So soon?" Günsche asked, his eyes widening.

"I guess they think that's the best idea." Krebs shrugged. He didn't know Burgdorf's intentions, but he wasn't exactly eager to find out. He could only use what he knew. "They can't be stationed here for so long, apparently."

"We fight too," Günsche informed Krebs. "Burgdorf and I, and a few other retainers. We join the front lines … usually, we take part in the quick and easy battles. Win or lose. Or campaigns. It is hard in a civil war country."

"So … are you joining the battle?" Krebs asked, jolting up in shock. _I didn't know these men - the most important people in the battle - joined battles that could get them easily killed! But they should be leading the troops …_

Günsche tilted his head. "I am not sure. I have not been told anything. Maybe he'll tell me soon."

Krebs bit his lip, feeling uneasy at the thought of Günsche leaving for the front lines. _What if he gets hurt?_ "If you do go …" He swallowed. "Be safe."

"You think I'll let myself get killed?" Günsche smiled slightly.

"Well, no, but uh, don't do it." Krebs glanced at the floor sheepishly, feeling a blush crawl on his cheeks.

Günsche let out a chortle of laughter. "I'll try not to," he said, patting Krebs on the back.

Heat started to flush up inside Krebs, and he continued to look at the floor. However, he was unable to ignore the strike of electricity that flowed through him at the touch of Günsche. "I guess," he muttered, unable to look up. "Stay safe, if you're going."

"Glad you care," Günsche purred.

Krebs turned away from Günsche, heading back to his room inside the bunker. He climbed down the stairs, desperately trying to remember the route back to his chambers. He walked down the hallway, but when he reached the end of it, he heard a call echoing through the hallways.

"Hey, map man." Krebs instantly recognized the high pitched voice.

Krebs turned around to see Burgdorf, who was watching him with narrowed blue eyes. "I need someone to help me - no one is around, so you'll do. Come plan with me."

Krebs halted. Him? Planning with the most important general of Germany? When he didn't even like him? He didn't want to be disrespectful to do so, but he also didn't want to be rude in refusing the offer. "Is it really all right?" _You hate me. Why are you asking me?_

"Hurry up before I die of old age waiting for you." Burgdorf turned into the map room, and Krebs walked behind him, heading into the room. Burgdorf had several maps laid out on the table, and Krebs, not hesitating for a second, hurried over them to point at them. Every single time he looked at a map, or pointed at it, he felt a wave of pleasure flushing through him. _I may be a general, but this is what I'm supposed to do._

"You …" Burgdorf's eyes focused on his finger as he pointed at the map. "Have you always been so skilled with maps?"

Krebs looked up. "I wouldn't call it a _skill_ ," he said. "I just like doing it."

"Is that so." Burgdorf watched as Krebs pointed to the city of Würzburg, his finger moving gracefully and smoothly to the back roads in which the troops would take. "Hm. That's got to be the best planning you've done yet."

Krebs looked up. "You're too kind," he muttered. _It's not that great … but I'm glad he likes it? A weird thing to like, but it's also a weird thing to do._

Burgdorf didn't say anything. But as Krebs started to point at more roads and more places, he seemed to relax, the crease in his brows softening.

He looked … almost gentle. The fact that he was so feared, and perhaps even reviled as the mastermind behind Hitler's plannings of his own war, made this side of him even more endearing.

"So are these the roads that look okay to take?" Krebs asked as Burgdorf continued to smile contently. At his sudden words, Burgdorf jolted up.

"Yes, that's all right. I'm gonna go talk it over with some other retainers first." Burgdorf snatched the map out of his hands, still glancing at it. His eyes had returned to their usual hardness, but Krebs couldn't forget the softness he had seen.

Maybe he wasn't as tough as he portrayed himself to be.


	5. Chapter 5

There was no use for Krebs to be here anymore. All he did was point at maps, and he was taking more space than needed. He was on his way to talk to Burgdorf, but he didn't know where he was. Hitler was ranting in his room, as usual, so Krebs didn't think it was a good idea to bother him.

Wondering where the blonde haired general was, Krebs decided to try outside. He climbed out of the bunker, only to see Burgdorf on top of a horse. The chestnut colored horse didn't seem to waver underneath Burgdorf's apparent heavy weight, its muscle rippling underneath its coat.

Krebs was about to head over to Burgdorf, but Günsche appeared first. Günsche looked up at Burgdorf, who was still on his horse. "General, I-"

Burgdorf clicked his tongue irritably. "Goddammit." He glanced at Krebs, and reached his hand out. Krebs, bewildered, took his hand, and Burgdorf pulled him effortlessly on the horse.

"Wait!" Krebs shouted, but Burgdorf gave no acknowledge to his words. Burgdorf nudged the horse onwards, making it bolt.

The thundering of hooves split the world as the horse galloped through the bleak landscape, its mane wisping in the air like flames. Its powerful legs propelled it forward, with Burgdorf staying easily on it.

However, Krebs was frightened to death. Terrified, he grasped Burgdorf's waist, ignoring the hiss of annoyance from the older man. He buried his face in his back. "Where are you taking me?" he yowled.

"You were there, so I took you with me," Burgdorf snapped at him.

"Where?" Krebs gasped.

"Hold your tongue or I'll cut it out, you irritating fool."

"General!" Krebs, feeling as if he was going to fall off, clung to Burgdorf as tightly as possible.

Burgdorf turned his head back. "If you fall, you're on your own," he warned him.

Krebs didn't know how long the horse had travelled until they came to a stop, but he was still so bewildered that his arms were still firmly around Burgdorf's waist.

"How long are you planning to stay there?" Burgdorf snarled.

Krebs jerked back in shock violently, feeling himself fall off the horse. He braced himself for the impact, but his body landed on something soft - another body. _Burgdorf?_

The general had thrown himself underneath Krebs. _He jumped underneath me to save me, even though he told me he'd leave me to die if I fell off!_ Krebs didn't say anything.

"Well," Burgdorf began, still underneath Krebs, "you must be pretty good to get me underneath you." He gave Krebs a grudgingly amused glance.

"Uh … thanks for saving me?" Krebs didn't know what to say.

"I'm not saving you," Burgdorf growled. "I'm saving myself from having to drag a miserable idiot like you all the way back to the bunker, just because you didn't know how to control your shock." He turned away from Krebs dismissively, but dragged himself up, sighing.

Krebs looked around, wondering where they were. It was a small town - not war ravaged, to his surprise.

Burgdorf was also examining the town, narrowing his eyes. "It's around here somewhere," he muttered, half to himself, half to Krebs. "Come on. We're going to look for new maps around here."

"New … new maps?" That was enough for Krebs to jump up, which left Burgdorf to snicker.

"Yes. Let's go." He led Krebs throughout the town, and Krebs glanced around, a tad dazed by the silence. Usually, whatever town he went to, it was ruined by war. But this town was silent. _Maybe that's why Burgdorf picked here._

Finally, Burgdorf stopped at a small shop. "Here." He jerked his head towards the shop and headed in, his broad shoulders brushing the sides of the narrow door. Krebs had an easier time slipping in, but due to the shop being cramped, he was aware of how close he was to Burgdorf.

But Burgdorf seemed too distracted to care. The blonde general scanned the shop, narrowing his eyes. Krebs began to relax, and took in the shop. He gasped, his eyes widening as he saw all of the maps laid out on all the tables. He started to walk, but Burgdorf had placed a hand in front of him, stopping him.

"Stay there," he warned him.

Krebs grunted, crossing his arms grudgingly as Burgdorf trotted over to another table.

"Here it is," he muttered. "A map that isn't ripped of Frankfurt. Thanks, Jesus." He glanced at Krebs. "Wait a minute."

Krebs watched as Burgdorf collected the map he needed and talked to the shopkeeper. After Burgdorf paid, he walked towards Krebs. "Let's go home."

 _So … you kidnapped me … just for that? All right then._ Krebs followed Burgdorf back on his horse, with Burgdorf having to drag Krebs up again. Burgdorf grabbed the reins of the horse, urging it to go forward.

The horse darted forward, running through the path of a forest. Krebs glanced around, seeing shades of green reflecting on the ground by leaves that were sheltered by trees. Suddenly, the horse skidded to a halt, almost sending Krebs off balance.

"Why did we stop?" Krebs asked.

Burgdorf was eyeing a tree. "Huh. Apples. Hitler will need some of these." He climbed off of the horse, and Krebs scrambled off after him. "You - stay there and look after the horse." Without giving Krebs a chance to protest, the sturdy general walked away from Krebs and headed over to the tree.

Krebs had never had experiences with horses before - as the job he had given prior, he had mainly sat in a building in Russia, therefore having no experience in warfare whatsoever. Instead, he stood, staring at the horse. "Uh …"

In a second, the horse turned around and darted away, kicking up dirt in its path, which sprayed in Krebs' face. Krebs stepped back, startled, but when he turned around, he saw Burgdorf walking towards him. Burgdorf's eyes widened as he realized that his horse wasn't there, and Krebs winced. _Oh, God, I scared off his horse._

Krebs stared at Burgdorf. "I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed.

Burgdorf stared at him. "Are you an idiot?" he snapped. "Why'd you let him get away?"

"Well … he just … I just … looked at him … and I wasn't holding onto him, but …" Krebs' voice trailed off, seeing Burgdorf's disgusted expression. "I'm so sorry."

"Idiotic scoundrel," Burgdorf spat.

 _Idiotic scoundrel?_ "Hey!" Krebs exclaimed. "You're the one who dragged me out here! I didn't even ask to come!"

Burgdorf stared at him. "How dare you?"

"I just wanted to go home!" Krebs exclaimed.

"Home?" Burgdorf curled his lip. "Who gave you permission to go anywhere? It wasn't me."

"I'm not doing anything here!"

"Oh, so it's my fault? Then go back to wherever your home is - Russia, I don't give a damn, if that's what you want."

"I will!" Krebs turned away sharply from Burgdorf, fuming, and stormed away. Burgdorf's blue gaze burned into Krebs as he ran away.

Krebs had been walking for a while, unsure on where he was going. The sun was setting in front of him, and he began to feel nervous, tugging at his Iron Cross. Could he even get _back_ into Russia? Would they let him?

He had no idea where he was walking. Maybe he could find someone on the road and ask them? Krebs looked up, sighing as he heard a rumble of thunder in the distance. _Oh no._ Krebs, fearing a storm, began to pick up his pace, turning his walk into a trot, until he ran into three men.

 _Oh, here we go._

"What are you - oh my God! You're one of Hitler's generals!" The first man had seen his Iron Cross, and had widened his eyes.

The man in the middle bit his lip. "You know what to do." He lashed out his fist, and in a minute, the world turned black.


	6. Chapter 6

Darkness clouded Krebs' vision, and he thrashed, trying to get out of it. _Come on, come on!_ As he continued to fight, he realized that the darkness that had once trapped him was beginning to ebb away. He forced his eyes opened, until he realized that something was wrong with him. He was stuck in a dark cabin, but there was also pressure on his body.

He glanced down at his stomach, realizing that there was rope around his body. He was also restrained by his wrists and his ankles.

"Are you kidding me?" Krebs bellowed. "Come on!" _You were trained to fight, and you let yourself get kidnapped?_ He looked around, trying to make out who had kidnapped him. Was it the men who had hurt him before? Probably. But then where were they?

The door in front of Krebs opened into the cabin. Krebs glanced up, narrowing his eyes as he saw a large, buff man, accompanied by two others of the same size. These were the men that had surrounded him in the forest.

"Ah, Hitler's general," the first man said. "Finally. Something to bargain with."

"Bargain?" Krebs barked. " _Bargain_?"

The man turned to the man on his right. "Don't you think that if Hitler knew one of the generals, fighting underneath _him,_ would have to send out a search party to rescue him? But what if the poor general was underneath death? Then we would definitely have to trade person for person … perhaps, the most important general underneath him? Like, the one planning the war?"

 _Burgdorf? Yeah, nice try. He would never trade himself for me. If anything, he'd want to choke the life out of me with his bare hands. Or Günsche? Maybe he would …_ Krebs gritted his teeth.

The person that the man had been talking to nodded. "It sounds like a good plan if you ask me. Sure would be a shame if something were to … _happen_ to him."

 _Go ahead, then. Kill me. See if I care._ Krebs laid his head back, waiting for them to continue to discuss their plans. But suddenly, the door behind them slammed open, and Krebs' breath caught in his throat as he realized that Burgdorf had leaped in.

With the power of a tiger, Burgdorf slapped the man on the right away, sending him flying across the cabin and colliding with the wall. Burgdorf turned on the middle man, ramming him into the ground. With the last man, Burgdorf once more used his awe striking strength to slam his hands onto him, leaving him to crash against the ground.

The man that Burgdorf had fought off initially had recovered from the blows he had been given, and launched himself back at Burgdorf. But Burgdorf was prepared. When he aimed for Burgdorf, the blonde general slipped out of the way, leaving the man to jump onto air. Burgdorf brought his arms onto his back, slamming him into the ground once more. He continued to strike blow to blow on the man's body, and Krebs winced as he heard the snapping of bones. The man that Burgdorf had fought was now lying ominously still on the ground, with Burgdorf staring at him, his lip curled.

The two people that had accompanied Burgdorf's enemy were staring at Burgdorf with wide eyes. Burgdorf looked up, obviously having no intentions of letting the two leave unharmed. He threw himself onto the two men, and despite being outnumbered, he fought strategically and savagely. _He is not an enemy I would want to meet in battle!_ Burgdorf sent the two against the wall, and they laid limp.

When they didn't move after a few minutes, Burgdorf got up. Krebs couldn't see any visible wounds on him, save for a bruise on his eye. He paid no attention to Krebs - instead, he glanced around the cabin.

Krebs took a deep breath. He wasn't going to be hurt, or bargained for. But why had Burgdorf saved him? Burgdorf was the one who had said earlier that he would let him to die, and had stormed away from him. So why would he risk his life just to save Krebs'? _Better not to ask questions. Just thank him._ He opened his mouth to thank Burgdorf, but the door to the cabin opened one more time.

Günsche, Jodl, Fegelein, and Goebbels had thrown their way in. Burgdorf turned around to look at him, curling his lip. Krebs looked up at Günsche, feeling nothing but sheer relief.

"How did you know we were here?" Krebs asked, cursing his heart for continuing to beat so loudly.

"We realized you were missing, and came across Burgdorf's horse," Günsche explained.

"Still too late," Burgdorf sneered.

"We were all worried about you," Günsche told Burgdorf.

Burgdorf sighed. "These were the men that were terrorizing the village next to us, I believe."

"The ones that were threatening to start an uprising?" Günsche asked, shocked.

"Yes." Burgdorf was glancing at the dead bodies. "The village is safe now."

"Thanks to you," Günsche said.

Burgdorf examined the shop. "Burn this thing to the ground."

"As you wish." Günsche walked over to Krebs, who was still tied up. "The most important thing," he murmured, leaning down, "is that you are safe." He smiled, kneeling to untie him with a gentle touch.

 _You really are a great man._ After Burgdorf's malevolence, Günsche's kindness was very comforting. When he was freed, Krebs got up, testing his arms. The release of the rope felt a lot better, but Krebs could see some red marks, a signal of how tightly he was bound.

Günsche had also seen the marks. "I think you'll be okay, but we'll check you as soon as we get back, all right?"

"Yeah." Krebs was still too dazed to say anything else, but Günsche let Krebs lean against his shoulder.

"You're not going home," Burgdorf suddenly snapped, looking over his shoulder from where Jodl was talking to him. "You owe me your life now, you know that?"

Krebs glanced at Burgdorf, the demand from the general sinking into his heart. But he was right - there was nothing he could do. His life _had_ been saved, even though it was by the last person he expected. All he could do was nod, but he let himself lean into Günsche's body once more, trying to ignore Burgdorf's callousness.


	7. Chapter 7

Krebs was still thinking about his rescue the other day. _So Burgdorf didn't just save me, he saved a village as well. Huh._ He was sitting on his bed, well aware of the chirping birds above him. Even though they were underground in the bunker, he somehow still couldn't escape the excruciating sounds of the morning.

 _Better get to work. If I'm not gonna go home anytime soon, then … I might as well just make the best of it._ He sighed, making his way to the planning room. To his relief, Hitler was there as well, alongside Burgdorf, Günsche, Jodl, and Goebbels. That meant it wouldn't be just him and Burgdorf, which probably would've been the worst experience ever for Krebs.

Krebs didn't know if Hitler knew about Burgdorf and the generals coming to Krebs' rescue the other day, but if he did, he showed no sign of it. He was as nonchalant as ever as he looked up at Burgdorf. "What's the news?" he asked.

Burgdorf glanced at the map in front of him. Krebs let his gaze slide over towards Günsche, who was looking grim. _That can't be good …_

But Burgdorf was calm as he spoke. "The threat of an uprising in the village of Altena was destroyed the other day." Although he didn't look up at Krebs, his words were pointed, and Krebs wished he would just shut up. _Smug asshole._

"Frankfurt? Würzburg? And Tier?" Hitler was focused on the map.

"Tier was crushed before," Burgdorf explained. "Frankfurt needs more reinforcements, more supplies, more help."

"Then we'll get that sorted as soon as possible. Exp - _Fegelein!_ " Hitler's topic changed instantly from the war towards his arch nemesis. Krebs turned around, seeing Fegelein's smug face at the entrance of the room.

"I'll get you, you little dipshit!" In a second, Hitler was out of his chair and lunging towards Fegelein. Fegelein leaped back, racing away from the furious Hitler. "You can't escape from me!"

Krebs pulled back. "What was _that_?" he asked, baffled by Hitler's sudden change of heart. He had went from utter seriousness to complete fury - just by seeing Fegelein.

"Better go calm him," Günsche said, following Hitler quickly. Jodl cast a nervous glance at Krebs and Burgdorf, before joining Günsche on the race after Hitler. Krebs was about to join them as well, but Burgdorf's curt order sent him halting.

"You stay right there."

Krebs slowly turned around, wincing. He had hoped to avoid a one on one conversation with the general, but it seemed as if that was wishful thinking. He met Burgdorf's blue gaze, forcing himself not to shake.

Burgdorf tilted his head, a smug grin climbing on his face. "I don't recall a 'thank you' for saving your life, even though it was honor bound to repay me."

"Repay you …?" Krebs stared at Burgdorf, bewildered.

"Yes." Burgdorf wreathed around Krebs. "I need someone in Frankfurt …"

"As a military negotiator?" Krebs' heart leaped in his chest. _A job! Something to do, so I'm not worthless!_

Burgdorf shook his broad head. "No. Someone undercover. You can go in and say you betrayed Hitler and his generals, and you want to ally with Frankfurt's armies instead. You know, switch and switch. A trade, maybe. You'd have traded yourself for their armies."

"You mean … you want me to pretend to be a traitor?" Krebs felt his eyes widen.

"Yes." Burgdorf nodded. "Now you get it."

"What if I get killed? They'll find out I'm not one, that I'm spying for them! They're not stupid, you know! And they've seen _me_ before! They'll know the truth!" Krebs found his words turning into piercing wails.

Burgdorf stayed calm, his shoulders relaxed, his eyes betraying nothing. "If you die, well, that's your fault. You'd have served your purpose, anyways."

Fury burned up inside of Krebs, sending his blood boiling. He pushed back Burgdorf, who was too close for his liking, with all of his strength, sending him against the wall.

Burgdorf gasped as he collided with the wall. Krebs curled his lip. "Don't you _dare_ treat me like I'm sort of object! Something to bargain with! You're no worse than those men who kidnapped me! _They_ wanted to trade me for someone else! I never came here just so you could use me! Don't think that just by saying it, you can bend everyone to think the same way you do!"

The general he was yelling at stared at him, his blue eyes round, as if he was never expecting Krebs to talk back at him. _Well, look where you got yourself now, you dumb fool!_ Krebs went on. "So, no, you're not going to use me! I won't let that! Just for your military advances? I would understand if it was for something else, but you'd be just fine with me getting killed out there!"

Burgdorf curled his lip. "So what, you're just gonna back down and be a coward?"

"If my only other choice is to live with the shame, then I would rather you kill me!" Krebs yowled. "Because I'm not getting killed by them, just so you can _use me_!"

"Shame?" Burgdorf voice was a furious roar, punctuating the hallways. Krebs knew it was only a matter of time before someone came in.

"Yes!" Krebs snapped. "But you're too full of yourself to realize that anyone else would see it as being _used!_ "

"Arrogance has nothing to do with it!" Burgdorf yowled. "Someone only as idiotic as _you_ would refuse such a special offer to save their armies!"

"That's not how I'm going to go about it! I'm not as worthless as you think I am!" Krebs flashed back at him.

Finally, the door that Jodl had left closed opened again. Günsche and Jodl were both there, their eyes wide. Burgdorf snapped his head over, his flaming blue eyes focused on them.

"General," Günsche began, "I heard it all. Krebs just doesn't understand the importance of the mission he was offered."

 _You too, Günsche?_ "I do understand!" Krebs hissed. "But not the way it's being carried out. Burgdorf wants to use me as a traitor, by just shoving me off to another group! He's bargaining me for information! He doesn't care if I die!"

"Get out of here," Burgdorf snapped, but not at Günsche or Jodl - at Krebs. "Leave."

"Leave the bunker? I'd be honored!" Krebs yowled at him.

"No, not the bunker. Leave this room, before I end your life with my bare hands." Burgdorf's voice was thick with fury, and Krebs spun around, not waiting for Burgdorf to ask a second time.

With most of his mind focused on his fuming, Krebs hardly made it to his room without running into something. Continuing to be furious, Krebs slammed the door to his room and started to walk around.

"That idiot!" Krebs snarled to himself. "He wants me dead for information? Doesn't he have a shred of remorse?"

Left to himself, Krebs continued to hiss insults at Burgdorf under his breath, and his thoughts were ravaging his mind as fast as a storm. _That … that asshole! I can't believe someone as dignified and with such a high status like him has so little remorse for human lives! Well, maybe I do believe it. I've seen what he's capable of. He killed those three men like they were nothing more than flies. Granted, they were kidnapping me, but he still killed them easily! I thought I knew who he was before, but now I would give anything to see him fall off a cliff! Ugh!_

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door, and Krebs looked up.

"Come in," Krebs called.

Günsche's face appeared as he pushed the door open. His eyes were apologetic, and he dipped his head to Krebs in a manner of respect. Krebs bit his lip. Günsche was of a much higher rank than him in the bunker, he shouldn't be bowing to him.

"Don't do that," Krebs murmured.

Günsche lifted his head. "My apologies for how General Burgdorf acted back there," he said. "He was … well …" Günsche's words trailed off, and Krebs realized that not even he had a valid explanation to excuse Burgdorf's behavior.

"You have no need to apologize," Krebs stated firmly. " _You_ didn't do anything wrong."

Günsche sighed. "But I am sorry for how he acted. Just let him cool off for now, and you should as well. Please, let me know if there is anything I can do to help. I want you to remain in this bunker, and I do not want anything to happen to you."

"It's all right," Krebs said. "No need to worry - as I said, you didn't do anything wrong."

Günsche gave Krebs a sheepish, small smile. "Just keep up the good work. You're doing a great job so far. All of us think so."

"Thanks, Günsche." With that, Günsche left the room, and Krebs was left to study him.

 _What will happen now?_


	8. Chapter 8

"What happened to _you_?" Krebs was just about to walk back to his room when he heard Fegelein's familiar voice. "You look like the sky's just fallen on top of you."

Krebs turned to face Fegelein, who was staring at him with braced shoulders and a tilted head. "You didn't hear?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, I heard. I'm just wondering … what did you say? To Burgdorf's request?" Fegelein looked genuinely flummoxed.

Krebs snorted, hardening his gaze. "Absolutely not!"

Fegelein blinked slowly, as if in deep thought. Then he shook himself. "I don't know. Working alongside General Burgdorf is a privilege. All he's doing in his own way is trying to make sure that you are safe."

Krebs sighed. "I don't know."

"Give it a chance," Fegelein urged him, patting him on his back. "He'll make sure you're safe. I know he said that he didn't care if you died, but he _does_."

 _You're all trying to excuse his actions?_ Krebs glanced at Fegelein, who smirked. _Maybe he does have a point … I'll at least talk to him._ Not saying anything else, Krebs whipped around and made his way towards the planning room, where he ran into another person.

"Ugh!" Krebs collided head first, and found himself scrambling to the ground. "Ow." He looked up, ready to yell at the person who had tripped into him, but his heart softened as he realized it was Günsche.

Günsche stepped back, his eyes widening in alarm. "My apologies." He leaned over to grab Krebs' hands, and for a moment, their heads were too close together. Krebs jerked his head back, allowing Günsche to drag him up. His heart pounded loudly in his chest as he stared at him. Both were well aware of how close they had been to each other. Krebs glanced at the ground.

"No, it was me," Krebs muttered. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

Günsche smiled softly. "Where are you off to in such a rush?"

"General Burgdorf," Krebs explained.

The smile from Günsche's face faded to be replaced by concerned eyes. "May I ask why?"

"I'm gonna apologize," Krebs replied. "I mean, he treated me bad, but I did kinda push him against a wall. Fegelein talked some sense into me. So yeah, I'm gonna apologize to that, and maybe talk to him. I'll think about his offer."

Günsche pulled back. "Oh. All right." He turned around, heading back to where he had come. Krebs watched him, puzzled. Günsche had been going somewhere. So why was he going backwards?

 _There are way too many confusing things around here. Why'd I even come? I just want to go home. I'm not cut out to be here, and he knows that. They all know that._ Sighing, Krebs slowed his pace, not wanting to bump into anyone else.

He stealthily made his way through the corridors and to Burgdorf's room, where he once more met Günsche. Günsche had a joyful look on his face, and he was staring at Krebs. "Thank Fegelein for me," he said.

"Wh-what?" Krebs stared at him, puzzled.

"You'll find out soon." Günsche brushed against Krebs, heading down the hallway. Krebs' gaze followed him, but he didn't bother asking. Why should he? It wasn't his place. Nervously, Krebs knocked on the door to Burgdorf's room.

But as he remembered Burgdorf's burning glare from the other day, anxiety started to climb up in his heart. No, he shouldn't bother Burgdorf. He'd probably murder him, and what if he was in more of a foul mood than usual? Günsche had come out happy, but that didn't mean Burgdorf was. And perhaps seeing Krebs would worsen his mood. Krebs turned around, ready to leave, but there was a response from the door.

"Who's there?"

Krebs halted, unsure of whether to run away or to answer. _He'll kill me if he finds out I was here, though. He'll be confused and ask someone. I'll get caught sooner or later._ Krebs cleared his throat. "It's me."

There was silence.

"I can come back later!" Krebs said, a little too quickly.

"No." Burgdorf's voice was firm. "Come in. You're already here, anyways."

Krebs winced, pushing the door open. Burgdorf stood, his broad shoulders tense, his blue eyes stern. His teal uniform was smooth, and his blonde hair had been pulled back. "What do you want?"

How had Günsche come out of here looking so happy, when Burgdorf was still in a bitter mood?

"Well … uh …" Krebs suddenly realized that he hadn't planned out what he had to say.

"This is the part where you speak," Burgdorf growled. "I don't have all day. Did you lose your tongue?"

Krebs gritted his teeth. "I wanted to apologize for … uh … ya know … pushing you against the wall the other day. And I also wanted to thank you for saving my life."

Burgdorf said nothing for a few minutes. Then he spoke. "All right. Apology accepted. Now get out."

Krebs sighed. _Great. That went well._ Burgdorf had been cruel before, but now it seemed as if he was grudgingly accepting Krebs' existence. _He must be really upset._ "Okay." Krebs turned away from Burgdorf, shutting the door in his room and padding out. He huffed, staring at the ground.

"Hey!" Krebs looked up to see Jodl, who was walking over to him. "Did you hear of the battle in Altena?"

"No." Krebs tilted his head. "Never even knew Altena existed."

"Well, there's been reports of _another_ uprising," Jodl informed him. "So now Burgdorf wants all of us to finally interfere. He's going to lead us into a battle there. Fegelein, Günsche, me, and a lot of other generals."

Krebs' heart dropped to his stomach. _Oh no. Back to war._ A battle with both Burgdorf and Günsche in it? What if one of them got hurt? "Is … is it really coming to this?"

"Yeah." Jodl sounded apologetic. "There are two cities around Altena that have formed a resistance. Burgdorf's battle plan is to get me in there to have all three leaders turn against each other. They'll fight against each other, and then we'll come in and crush them at the last minute. Basically, they'll be doing our work for us. All we need to do is finish them off."

Krebs' eyes widened. "That's … that's actually a good plan."

"It is. I don't know who inspired it, but I think it'll work. Hopefully this war comes to an end soon. I don't think Germany can take much more of it." Jodl gave Krebs a respectful nod, and walked by him.

The hallway was quiet as Jodl left, leaving only Krebs and his spinning thoughts. If they went off to battle once more, as uprisings began, there was a chance of them getting killed. Even if there was an attempt for three resistance groups to turn on each other, Jodl could fail, having the three groups attack Burgdorf's party of men.

Would it really work out?


	9. Chapter 9

The day had come. Burgdorf and his generals were finally going to Altena to crush the uprisings. They had gotten reports that Jodl had succeeded in turning the leaders against each other, and now it was the knockout blow that Burgdorf was going to deliver.

Burgdorf had been ignoring Krebs for days, even at the meetings. But Krebs could not help but watch him as he began to give out orders to his men. _Please, come back safe._ Both he and Hitler were staying behind, and he was standing next to Hitler. Hitler was watching the patrol of men with narrowed eyes.

Burgdorf padded over to Hitler after he was finished giving orders. "We're ready," he reported. "We're going to be leaving now, as soon as I get the horses ready."

Hitler nodded. "Godspeed, Burgdorf."

"Best of luck," Krebs added.

The blonde general only acknowledged Hitler. "All the best," he said. "I will be back. We'll all be back." Although his voice was firm, Krebs could see a veil of uncertainty behind his eyes. Puzzled, Krebs was about to ask him, but Burgdorf turned away, walking towards his men again.

"What was that?" Krebs asked.

"What?" Hitler inquired.

"I mean, he said 'we'll all be back'. What does that mean?"

"It means …" Hitler paused, his words trailing off. "Well, usually, when they go on missions like this, there are a lot of casualties. Especially in a time when civil war is raging our country. That means fighting is much more fiercer than usual, which results in more deaths. I guess Burgdorf really thinks his new plan will bring less deaths." Hitler's gaze followed Burgdorf, who had gotten on his horse and was leading the equipped men away. "I hope he is right."

 _So then why did he look uncertain?_ Krebs wanted to ask the question out loud, but he also didn't want to hear it. Instead, he kept his mouth shut.

Hitler snorted. "I do hope he comes back with _one_ casualty, though."

Alarmed, Krebs stared at Hitler. "Who?"

"Fegelein!" Hitler snapped, as if he expected everyone to know the answer. "Who else? It would relieve so many of my burdens if Burgdorf hauled his dead body on his back!"

Krebs rolled his eyes. "Forgive me, my Führer, but one day, Fegelein is going to die, and you're going to miss him. No matter how hard you pray, he won't come back. It'd be ironic if he died saving you, no? He wouldn't come back if he did."

Hitler snorted. "As if! Like that wretch would willingly sacrifice him for me."

Knowing that once he got on a conversation about Fegelein with Hitler, he wouldn't stop, Krebs turned around. "Maybe we should go inside."

"You're right," Hitler agreed. He followed Krebs as the two trekked inside the bunker, with Krebs well aware of his beating heart. The friends he had made had just joined a what could be grizzly battle. Would they all come back alive?

Would Günsche come back alive?

Would Burgdorf come back alive?

Krebs bit his lip. His worry was about to eat him alive, and his stomach was turning inside of him. Sure, he had felt like this when some of his friends had gone off to battle, but not this strongly.

Why? Why did he feel this way?

Days passed. There was still no news. Krebs didn't know how long an uprising in a civil war country would usually be, but he was uneasy that it was taking so long. Now he stood in the middle of the hallway, wondering what to do. He wasn't of any use in the bunker. He wanted to leave - he really did - but he couldn't, not until they came back at least.

He came face to face with Hitler, who had bolted out of the planning room. His eyes were wide, and his limbs were stiff.

"What is it?" Krebs asked, shocked by Hitler's sudden appearance.

"They're back!" Hitler said breathlessly. Without giving Krebs a chance to react, he flashed out of the bunker. Krebs followed him, leaping next to him. The two broke out of the bunker, meeting the unit.

To his shock, no one was in terrible condition. Although a few of them were bleeding, all of the men looked intact. Burgdorf was in the lead, still on his horse. His blue eyes had no reaction, but he dismounted his horse and walked over to Hitler. "Objective completed."

"Yes!" Hitler's voice was a triumphant screech.

Cheers of victory echoed from the men behind Burgdorf. Fegelein padded over to Burgdorf, elbowing him in the stomach. "You know, taking an entire city without anyone dying … it calls for a celebration, doesn't it?"

Burgdorf rolled his eyes.

"Taking that as a yes!"

"Oh, damn it, Fegelein didn't die." Hitler sighed. "It's a half victory now."

"Shut up, old man, and let's go hold a feast." Fegelein brushed past Hitler and entered the bunker, and the rest of the men followed him. Krebs tried to pick out Günsche in the crowd, but he was lost within the men. Only Burgdorf and Hitler stayed behind.

"So, how was it?" Hitler asked Burgdorf.

"Easy enough. Jodl had succeeded in turning the resistance groups against each other. By the time we were there, they were ripping each other apart. And they were so stubborn they didn't team up. They fought with us, but if they saw the other groups, they'd attack them. They were fighting three enemies at once. They were already in pretty bad shape, so we were able to cripple them once and for all. The village is under our control, and we put their rightful leader back in charge."

"And no one's dead."

"Right."

"You did a good job." Hitler's hand brushed Burgdorf's back.

"It wasn't me," Burgdorf said mildly.

 _Then who was it?_

Hitler shrugged. "Yeah, it was. Come on." He led Burgdorf away from the outdoors, and headed inside of the bunker, with Krebs on their trail.

In a few hours, the feast was ready. All of the men who had fought in the battle were eating, but Burgdorf wasn't. He was gazing at the food, his eyes narrowed.

Finally, Burgdorf turned away, leaving the crowd. Some of the men seemed to notice, and whispered among each other, but that didn't deter their mood. Krebs decided to follow Burgdorf.

Trying to be as stealthy as possible, Krebs followed Burgdorf as he climbed up stairs and headed outside. Burgdorf lifted his head, staring at the bunker. In a few seconds, he leaped over it, his powerful legs giving him a huge advantage as he climbed over the top of the building.

Krebs decided to climb the rear. As he walked over to the back of the bunker, he glanced up, realizing that this would be harder than he thought. _Burgdorf made it look so easy …_ Grunting, Krebs leaped as high as he could, his fingers scraping the top of the building. When he got a grip, he pulled himself up, trying to silence his panting.

Burgdorf was looking up at the night sky, his face illuminated by the moonlight. His gaze was studying the stars, and he was speaking to himself. "This is the first time we've been able to seize a city and stop an uprising and losing no one," he murmured.

 _This is their first time they came back with no deaths? And they've been fighting for how long … five years?_

The general went on. "Despite killing who I needed to in order to achieve the goal of equality and unity for everyone … I even had to kill my own father, in my own desperation to keep the promises I gave to my Führer."

 _He … he killed his own father?_ "Who knew it would take winning like this for me to see that one can triumph without violence?" Burgdorf looked over his shoulder, meeting Krebs' gaze, and what Krebs saw in those eyes was pain. "Are you afraid of me?"

Krebs stopped, taken aback by the question. But Burgdorf deserved an answer. "I really don't know."

Burgdorf blinked.

"I may be a general, but I lost my entire family to this civil war, so unneeded deaths are something I cannot accept," Krebs explained. He bit his lip as he remembered his past. His mother had been murdered by revolutionary armies, and his father had fought in the same army. After, when Krebs had lived with his sister and his brother in a village as orphans, he had been out when another army burned the village to the ground, killing the only siblings he had left. And all of it was during a civil war when he was young. _Then another war had to happen._ Pain grasped Krebs' heart as he thought back to his past.

Burgdorf glanced back at the stars. "Sometimes, to protect, means to bring death. No matter how much you don't want to. People fight to protect the things that mean the most to them. But I realized … it was you who showed me that I could stop the uprising without losing any lives." He smiled wearily at Krebs - a smile Krebs had rarely seen. The soft kindness in his eyes was a natural smile, and it made Krebs' heart stop.

"What … what do you mean?" Krebs glanced at him. "How was it me?"

"Fegelein was able to convince you to talk to me. It was someone on the inside, in the inner circle, to bring achieve the goal. Jodl did the same thing by going in their circle and trying to achieve his goal. That's what I learned." Burgdorf glanced at the ground below him as Krebs scrambled closer, sitting next to Burgdorf.

"I'm glad I could help," Krebs said.

Burgdorf looked at him. "Do you really think you would die if you went to Frankfurt?"

"That's a conversation for another time," Krebs murmured.

"What a shame. Because I need you."

Krebs' heart stopped, sending a jolt straight to his stomach. He was about to ask Burgdorf what he meant, but Burgdorf was already moving.

Burgdorf shook his head. "Ignore me. The ramblings of a tired warrior always happens later." He sighed. "Thinking back to the village … Things can never go back to the way they were. Where there once was kindness, there is hatred. Loss breeds callous hearts. When people have nothing more to fight against, they turn on each other. That is the real tragedy."

Krebs wasn't sure what to say.

The general next to him jerked his head up at the stars. "Look at them. How strong they must be, to shine so brightly despite being trapped in the same place."

Krebs followed Burgdorf's gaze, studying the glimmering specks of light that dotted the night sky. Burgdorf cleared his throat. "So, what's your story?"

 _It's been a good five minutes, and he hasn't insulted me or yelled at me. And now he's not ignoring me anymore._ "My story?"

"You told me that your family was killed by the war - I'm assuming the early war. Tell me about that."

 _If I share it with someone, it can't be too bad. I've kept it to myself for so long … nobody knows. And yet some jerk in a bunker has to know. Hm._ "My mother was killed by the revolutionary armies that my father fought for. When he realized that they killed her, he tried to turn on them, but he was killed in a second. But all he did was try to defend his wife …"

"Then your father is a man who stuck to his noble principles," Burgdorf commented.

"Yeah. He was." Krebs was surprised by how empathic Burgdorf was being. "And my siblings … I had a brother and a sister. We were orphans after our parents died, and one day I was out, and I came back, and the armies had set fire to our village. I came across their charred bodies."

Sympathy glinted in Burgdorf's eyes. "I can't even imagine how painful it must be to live as something that goes against anything you are," he murmured. "How … how do you keep looking forward? Because … I can't." His eyes widened as he realized that he had admitted an insecurity - something that made him vulnerable.

But as Krebs studied Burgdorf, he realized that this was not a man who only cared about murder and death. _He confessed to killing his father … but he's not a murderer. There's something beyond this barrier he's put up, and he's showing it. I want to know more about his father … maybe he can give me a reasonable explanation._ "I don't know, General. I've sacrificed everything I had to make sure it never happens again. It's pathetic."

Burgdorf shook his head. "There's nothing pathetic about someone who sacrifices everything they possibly can for something they believe in."

Krebs glanced at his fingers. _Don't kill me._ "Why did you have to kill your father?" he blurted out.

Burgdorf's blue eyes narrowed.

 _Oh no. Now I'm in for it._ Krebs shut his eyes, prepared for Burgdorf to kill him himself, but instead, Burgdorf spoke. "He fought for the wrong thing. We never got along, but as I grew older, I went for … well, what I think was right. The original Germany, the original government. But my father was apart of the separate revolution. And when we met up, when our armies clashed, I saw him trying to kill an innocent family, trying to kill what he could get his hands on. When I looked at him, I saw a ruthless man who wouldn't stop at anything. I knew I had to end him with my own hands. I couldn't let him be something that men were not. So … I had to kill him." He glanced at his hands.

Krebs gazed at Burgdorf, his heart aching for the general. _So he's got more of a backstory than I know. Not only has he lost those dear to him, he knows the real tragedy of war … from both sides._


	10. Chapter 10

"Do you remember the uprising I told you about?" Jodl's voice was high pitched in the planning room, where Krebs, Fegelein, Goebbels, Burgdorf, and Günsche. "The one in Coburg?"

"Yes," Burgdorf replied. "What about it?"

"It grew three times as bigger in one day!" Jodl exclaimed. "If we don't get there soon, if we don't stop it, then they're sure to expand their territory everywhere. We _have_ to get it over with. And we can't use your infiltration method of before. No one is going to turn on each other there."

Burgdorf narrowed his eyes. "So it's more than just a battle over there."

"Yes," Günsche confirmed for Jodl. "We're going to have to get there quick before anything happens. If … if we're not quick … then I fear what will happen."

For a moment, Krebs thought he saw a flicker of fear in Burgdorf's eyes, but it was gone so quickly that Krebs almost thought he imagined it. "Then we should get going. We will need troops. A lot of them."

"What about Frankfurt?" Fegelein asked.

Burgdorf sighed. "That doesn't matter right now. We'll have to deal with Coburg with our own hands." He turned to Günsche. "You - assemble the troops. Goebbels, tell Hitler what's going on. Jodl, get the supplies. And you?" He glanced at Krebs. "You're going home."

"What?" Krebs stared at him, bewildered.

"Did I stutter?" Burgdorf's voice was as cold as ever. It was as if he and Krebs had never talked that night.

Krebs stiffened. What if Burgdorf was sending him away because he had confessed too much to him? Someone who knew Burgdorf's weaknesses couldn't stay in the bunker. Was that it?

"Gather your things and go." Burgdorf nodded to Fegelein. "Take him back to where he came from."

"On it." Fegelein nudged Krebs. "Let's go."

Krebs was still too dazed to process what was happening - it was going by so quick. At Fegelein's nudge, Krebs snapped out of his daze and started to walk towards his room, accompanied by the general.

"Do you have anything you need?" Fegelein asked.

"No, I don't," Krebs replied.

"Really? Nothing?" Fegelein arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah. So we can just … go … I guess." Krebs didn't want to leave. But what choice did he have? Pain tugged at his heartstrings, but he knew he couldn't do anything now. Reluctantly, he followed Fegelein as the taller man led him outside.

Günsche met up with them, already in his military uniform. "Leaving?" he asked Krebs.

"I'm taking him," Fegelein replied.

Günsche dipped his head towards Fegelein, padding closer to Krebs. He smiled gently. "You do not know how much you have done here. Just by being here made the bunker feel brighter."

"You know," Krebs murmured.

"Well, you finally get back to go home, don't you?" Günsche let out a soft sigh. "The part of me that hopes for your happiness is glad for you. However … I cannot help but be sad, when I think of how you will no longer be with us."

Krebs gazed at Günsche. "Thanks for your kind words." Günsche, who had always been there to ease the sting of Burgdorf's harsh words, once again stepped in to make this easier.

"Let's go," Fegelein urged Krebs. "Before we know it, the sun is going to set. Uh … where do you live again?"

Standing up with a jolt, Krebs suddenly remembered that he wasn't in Russia anymore. Yes, he had stayed there for what seemed like forever, but that wasn't where he left. "I live in Potsdam."

"I see," Fegelein murmured. "Ah, whatever. Let's just get a horse. Like I'm gonna drive you there. Wait."

Obeying his orders, Krebs waited for Fegelein as he disappeared behind the bunker. A few minutes passed, and the antics master returned, on top of his horse. The horse - chestnut colored with a long, sleek mane trotted over to Krebs.

"Get on," Fegelein called.

"Uh …" Krebs glanced up at the horse, realizing there was no saddle.

"You're kidding me." Fegelein sighed. "Come on up here." He grabbed Krebs' arms and hauled him up, and Krebs sat on the back of the horse. _Man, how does this horse deal with us? We're both probably over a hundred and fifty pounds, and the horse hasn't fallen flat. Weird._

Fegelein urged the horse onwards, and the stallion began to bolt, putting on top speed. Krebs gritted his teeth, holding onto the horse for dear life. Fegelein held onto the reins, watching his every surroundings as the horse began to run through the forest.

Pebbles were thrown to the side by the horse's hooves, and Krebs felt thin branches scraping against him. He wished that the horse would slow down, but he didn't dare voice what he thought. Fegelein would probably just snap at him.

When the horse reached the edge of the forest, Fegelein had it skid to a halt. Fegelein took a deep breath, resting his chin on top of the horse's head. He was silent for a few minutes, and Krebs knew what he was thinking, even before he said it. "This isn't right."

Krebs nodded. "We should go back."

Fegelein glanced at him. "I know. But I was ordered to bring you here."

"Look, Fegelein, you even said it yourself - this isn't right. I need to go back. There's nothing for me at home. I want to go back, I want to help you guys. I don't know why Burgdorf sent me away … but I want to go back. If you guys send me away a second time, fine. I'll go. But I want to be there. I want to help, I want to do what I can."

Fegelein looked at the ground. "It's not like you can fix anything. Krebs, we're at war. And the war is only going to get worse. We avoided casualties, yes. But that doesn't mean we'll be death free forever. The battles going forward … death will be everywhere. You don't belong here. You don't know what this war is like, and you don't want to. You are in danger, just by being here."

Krebs lifted his chin. "That may be. But I can take care of myself, Fegelein. As I said, I want to help. Even if it's just pointing at maps, or supporting him. Take me back, Fegelein."

Fegelein sighed. "Krebs, if he has my head on a plate, it's your fault."

"I thought you were invincible."

"Not from his words."

Krebs chuckled, despite the intensity of the situation. "Fine. I'll take the heat for it, all right? But let's go back."

Fegelein nodded. "You got it." Tugging the reins on his horse once more, the stallion turned around and began to head back in the direction they had came from. Krebs gazed at the path they had followed. _I'm coming back. You can send me away again, but I'm going to try to help._

Thunder started to rumble in the distance as the horse continued its slow trot. The smell of rain wreathed around Krebs' nose, and he blinked away the mist. Fegelein looked up, his eyes uneasy. "Oh, no."

At the last of Fegelein's words, the rain began to fall over them, the turbulent skies a reflection of Krebs' own heart. Fegelein winced.

"What do we do now?" Krebs asked helplessly, feeling the rain soak his clothes. His hair was getting drenched more by the second, and was starting to fall over his face.

Fegelein glanced at Krebs. "We can keep going," he suggested.

"They won't stop?"

"No. Nothing will stop Burgdorf, not even the rain. But it might slow him down. Come on, let's get there as soon as we can." Fegelein tugged on the reins once more, which gave the horse a burst of speed as the majestic animal stormed over the ground and glided through the forest with ease. Krebs still held on tightly, hoping that he wouldn't fall off the horse.

To his relief, the bunker came into sight, and Krebs could see the outlines of a few people in front of it. The horse started to slow down, and began to walk slowly to the bunker. Krebs recognized Burgdorf, Jodl, and Günsche, all talking to one another. All three of them were soaked, but they didn't seem to mind.

Burgdorf's head snapped around, staring at Fegelein. His eyes narrowed as he recognized Krebs. "Are you kidding?" he snapped. "Fegelein, you know better than that!"

"My apologies," Fegelein said. "I …" His words trailed off, and he glanced helplessly at Krebs.

Burgdorf curled his lip, growling. Krebs stepped forward. "Don't blame him," he pleaded. "Let me explain."

The blonde general fixed Krebs with a piercing blue glare. "And here I thought sending you away would keep you safe."

 _Keep me safe? Is that what he wanted to do?_ Krebs met Burgdorf's gaze. _Oh …_ "Look, don't blame him, please. I just wanted to come back, because I wanted to do something. There's nothing for me at home. You can send me back now if you want, I don't care, but just know that I want to be your support system. I want to support all of you, I want to do what I can to help. I know you sent me away for me to be safe, but I'm fine. I'll be all right. Let me help."

Burgdorf gazed at Krebs, his blue eyes waves of unreadable emotions. Günsche touched Burgdorf on his shoulder gently, and Burgdorf turned to look at the soaked general. The two exchanged one glance - a glance that the both of them could read. _They know each other so well, they can talk just by looking at each other …_

Finally, Burgdorf looked at Krebs, his drenched blonde hair hanging over his face. "Fine," he growled. "You can stay. But you're not fighting."

Krebs sighed. _That's the best I'm getting._ "I just want to help. You know I can."

Burgdorf opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get any words out, a flash of gray bolted through the men and skidded to a halt in front of Burgdorf. "General!" he exclaimed.

"Baur?" Burgdorf narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the messenger for Keitel's armies," Baur explained. "You can't go. They're coming after you. They _know_ that you will be there, in Coburg."

"And that's going to stop me from going?" Burgdorf countered. "You know that everyone longs for my blood on their clothes. That's not going to stop me."

"Put your stubbornness aside," Krebs growled.

Burgdorf spun around to face Krebs. "Do _you_ want to die?" he snapped.

"General, don't go," Baur pleaded. "You must go to all your other campaigns, but stay out of this one. They want you, and you alone. Let the troops take care of it. We must protect you."

"What, you think I can't defend myself?"

"We know you can. Just please, let us do this on our own. You must stay here."

Burgdorf glanced at Günsche. Günsche turned to Baur. "How bad is it?"

"Bad enough that I'm asking the general to stay home." Baur's voice turned high pitched.

Günsche sighed. "He is right, Burgdorf. We will go and take care of it. We're all ready, anyways. Do we have your permission?"

Burgdorf clicked his tongue irritability. "Fine. You have my permission."

"Thank you, general." Günsche nodded to Fegelein and Jodl, who darted after him as they began to collect the troops that Burgdorf had ordered, with Baur behind them. Krebs was vaguely aware of how soaked both he and Burgdorf were, but Burgdorf didn't seem to care. Instead, he watched as Günsche and the others disappeared out of his sight.

"So … what now?" Krebs asked.

Burgdorf looked at him. "I'm going to go check the village that the people who kidnapped you used to terrorize. I haven't checked on them in a while. I might as well do it, considering that I have nothing better to do. And you're to stay here."

"What?" Krebs straightened. "I came back to help, and that doesn't mean locking me up in the bunker every single night. Wouldn't it be better if you had two people, and not just go on your own?"

"So I have a body to haul on my back and bring to the bunker?" Burgdorf retorted.

"No, I'll be fine."

"Yeah, look what happened last time."

Krebs' patience was about to break. "Let me come with you."

Burgdorf rolled his eyes. "Fine. Come on." He nodded to his horse, who had been waiting impatiently for someone, as signaled by the stomping of his hooves. Burgdorf walked over to the horse, pressing his face against his shoulder. "Relax," he murmured, petting the horse. He mounted him easily, and glanced at Krebs. "Coming?"

 _All right, I've been around horses way too much today … and in general._ Not wanting to be held up again, Krebs attempted to scramble onto the horse, but it was to no avail, as he felt himself slipping down. But before he made contact with the ground, Burgdorf's arm wrapped around his body and dragged him up. Thanks to the help of Burgdorf, Krebs was able to sit himself on the horse. Burgdorf dragged his arm away.

"One of these days, you'll get on one without help," he said.

Krebs didn't bother to respond. Burgdorf tugged the reins of the horse, and it galloped away from the bunker, heading towards the direction in which Krebs had been held hostage. The two rode past the location, and Krebs could see the charred remains of the cabin. He remembered when Burgdorf had ordered it to be burned down. _That means he burned the bodies as well._

The horse exited the forest and galloped into a nearby village, in which Burgdorf pulled the reins of the horse, ordering it to stop. Burgdorf and Krebs jumped down from the horse, and what Krebs saw in front of him made his jaw drop.

He would never be able to unsee it.

Piles of bodies laid across the village, covering the streets and paths. The stench of death made Krebs hold his breath. The bodies laid limp, limbs at awkward angles, their flesh torn, their clouded eyes staring at the sky they would never see. Blood soaked every single corpse, making it seem as if a river of red ran through the village.

And maybe it did.

Both Burgdorf and Krebs stared at the bodies in front of them, unable to speak. A mass murder had occurred here, but from who? And why? Why so many people? Why this village? This village had nothing to do with the war - they had been _terrorized._ They hadn't fought, they weren't aligned.

Krebs walked over to one body - the body of a small boy, who was at the bottom of a pile of corpses, sticking out underneath another one. His deathly white skin was torn open, and Krebs placed a finger on his twisted arm.

He was cold to the touch.

Krebs lifted his head, looking around. The sight had taken his breath away, and nausea was climbing at his stomach. The life that had dwelt within these bodies had gone, and they were safe from the perils of the world. No harm could come to them now. Their hearts that used to beat were still. _I hope their spirits are well in the afterlife. They didn't deserve this._

"Brother," Krebs heard Burgdorf whisper. "Brothers." He turned to see the general on his knees, staring at the bodies.

His brother? Did his brother die?

No. Burgdorf had no brothers in the village.

Krebs walked over to Burgdorf, seeing as he stared at the bodies. No, his eyes didn't show grief - not for the dead, at least. He was obviously devastated by the sight, but there was something more in his eyes, something more in his stance.

Then Krebs pulled back, realizing what was going on.

Burgdorf was remembering something.

"Betrayed, betrayed again," Burgdorf whispered. "Betrayed by my own family." He got to his knees, his eyes pale. "We must bury these bodies."

"There are so many," Krebs whispered.

"Then get the entire goddamn bunker over here to bury them, I don't care. Just make sure these bodies are buried and sent to a final resting place. Frankfurt did this. Look." He nodded to the fallen guns on the path, some on the bodies. "Those are their guns."

"But … why would they do this?" Krebs whispered.

"To send us a message," Burgdorf hissed. "One that they won't stop at anything. They will _not_ get away with this, let me promise you that." His blue eyes smoldered with fury.

Krebs stared at Burgdorf as he hung his head once more. Although the sight of the dead affected Krebs in more ways than possible, the sight of Burgdorf seeing them also tugged at his heart.

Burgdorf got up, walking over to Krebs. "Please," he whispered, "do not betray me. Even if you are the only one, do not betray me like everyone else has." He pressed his head against his chest, and Krebs looked down.

"I won't," he murmured. "I promise."

 _His devil-may-care attitude is only to conceal the deep scars of so many betrayals ... and knowing that he still trusts despite the treachery of his own family makes my heart ache for him._


	11. Chapter 11

The armies were back, with the report that the uprising in Coburg had been quickly defeated. The bunker was receiving warnings of uprisings after uprisings, and it was hard to keep up, but Burgdorf was somehow able to do it.

The weak wind rustled against Krebs' ear, wreathing its way around his face. He was walking aimlessly around the bunker, feeling the need to stretch his legs. From the distance, he could see a figure slumped over the bunker's steps, staring at the ground. Krebs tilted his head, and recognized Günsche.

Concerned, Krebs padded over him, but he was able to make out a few words.

"Burgdorf really is the devil himself."

Krebs halted. _What?_

Günsche turned around, his eyes widening as he realized that Krebs was there. "Krebs," he said, regaining his composure. "Forget you heard that. I was simply thinking out loud. The only thing right now you have to worry about is serving your general." He nodded briskly. "Ignore that."

He padded away, leaving behind a bewildered Krebs. Krebs watched him go away, his heart thumping with anxiety for Burgdorf. Were people turning on him now?

Could Burgdorf afford to have his most trusted friend turn on him?

No. Günsche wouldn't do that.

But why would he say that Burgdorf was a devil?

Krebs shut his eyes. _Please, please don't have Günsche betray Burgdorf. Please, we cannot afford betrayal in our midst. And Burgdorf cannot have someone else betray him … I beg of this not to happen._

Sighing, Krebs followed Günsche to where he was heading for. It was around noon - time for Burgdorf and his men to meet and talk about the battles and wars. Günsche already knew something, that was for sure.

He made his way through the hallways and pushed his way into the room. Günsche was there, alongside Jodl, Fegelein, and Burgdorf. All three were looking tense and uneasy.

Krebs stared at Jodl, who was explaining something to Burgdorf. "We may have crushed the uprisings in Coburg before they got bigger, but Frankfurt is looking more and more dangerous. We need to do something about that."

Burgdorf curled his lip. "Don't worry. I know exactly what I'm going to do," he growled, the ominous threat in his voice tinged with venom.

Krebs dared himself to look at Günsche, whose eyes were dark with concern. Krebs glanced at the ground, therefore shielding his face from view.

"Wh … what?" Jodl stared uneasily at Burgdorf, his gaze full of fear.

"We're going to set the city on fire." Burgdorf's voice was cold.

Jodl was silent, his jaw gaping. Krebs stood, horrified. Burgdorf wanted to _set an entire city on fire?_ But how? That would stir no survivors. That would destroy the entire city. Why not just send troops there? Why would Burgdorf do that?

"What … what about the civilians?" Jodl broke the silence.

Burgdorf tilted his head. "In the midst of war, can you really distinguish the line between a civilian and a traitor? Do you not remember what I told you earlier? The massacre I came across? That was them. We should give them a taste of their own medicine."

"You can't fight fire with fire," Jodl argued. "That would make us as bad as them. General, if we see any civilians, we can't kill them!"

Burgdorf turned away. "That may be. You are correct, we cannot kill the people who have done nothing wrong. But sometimes it is hard to find out who is who. We cannot take any risks." With that, he grabbed the map of Frankfurt on the table and headed out of the room, leaving the three horrified men to watch after him.

"Günsche!" Jodl's voice broke the silence. "Did you know about this?"

Günsche nodded. "He told me."

"And you support it?" Jodl turned on Günsche, bristling.

"No." Günsche shook his head. "I do not." His gaze scanned Jodl and Krebs. "I question his mercilessness. I believe that even a goal like his should come to pass with a minimum of bloodshed."

"This is way past a minimum!" Jodl snapped. "Günsche, do you not know how many innocent people can die?" Fury burned in Jodl's eyes, and it seemed as if he was seconds away from leaping at Günsche.

Krebs was too horrified to say anything. Burgdorf wouldn't do something like that, right? And Günsche certainly wouldn't support it, or advocate it for it go forward. _Maybe I don't know these two as well as I thought …_

Günsche blinked. "There is nothing we can say to change his mind."

"Are you kidding me right now?" Jodl yowled. "Yes! Tell him to spare the civilians! Kill as many soldiers as you want, I don't give a damn, but people who've done nothing wrong?"

"Well, the armies did carry out a slaughter of the village that he went to," Günsche defended Burgdorf feebly.

Jodl snorted. "He wants to burn a town down, in case you didn't hear him."

"I will do what I can," Günsche murmured. "Remember, I do not support this any more than you do."

Obviously furious, Jodl whipped away from Günsche and stormed out of the room. Günsche lifted his head. "Don't do anything stupid!" he called after him. Jodl's only reply was a snort, and Krebs heard his footsteps fade in the distance.

"Günsche …" Krebs began. "Is that why you called Burgdorf the devil earlier today?"

Günsche was stiff. Then he turned to Krebs, and nodded slowly. "Yes."

Krebs swallowed.

"You should leave," he said. "It is dangerous here. Especially if General Burgdorf does indeed go ahead with this … which he probably will."

"You really think he would?" Krebs asked, feeling his voice stammer.

Günsche sighed. "I know he will. I just pray that no innocent people are targeted." He glanced at the ground, his voice a mutter underneath his breath. "Although I am not sure that will be the case."

Krebs was lost for words, not knowing what to say that would give a proper, civil reaction to the situation.

Günsche looked up, fixing a steady blue gaze on Krebs. "He will destroy them, once and for all. And this will not be the first one he will destroy."

"I-I …" Krebs glanced down. "I need to talk to him."

The tall man in front of him tilted his head. "Do you really think that would help the situation?"

Krebs sucked in a breath. _He is selfish and cruel. If he has a heart, he hides it well._ "I don't know, but I have to try. Who will I be if I don't?" Although he tried to mask his shaking words with a tone of confidence, he felt his heart thumping in his chest, threatening to burst out. _Burgdorf … what if he really is like this? I want to think it's out of revenge, but maybe it's not. Maybe this is Burgdorf showing his true colors. Maybe he just wants to kill for the sake of killing._

The silence was blood chilling between both Günsche and Krebs, leaving the latter to wonder what else could possibly go wrong down the line. He gazed at Günsche, trying to work out the mingled feelings he could see in his eyes.

Krebs reflected back to what Günsche had said earlier.

" _Burgdorf really is the devil himself._ "

Would Günsche really betray Burgdorf, if he thought of him that badly? But how could that be possible? Günsche had been nothing but loyal to Burgdorf throughout Krebs' entire stay here, and from the gossip he had picked up, he had been Burgdorf's most loyal retainer for a very long time. He had always stuck by his side, and had backed up all of his decisions. But was this one too far?

"Will he listen to me?" Krebs burst out.

Günsche tilted his head. "I am not sure. That is something you know, not me."

"But you've known him longer than I have." Krebs gnawed on his nails nervously. He knew that even if Burgdorf wouldn't listen, he would try. _Maybe I can't, but nothing is stopping me from trying._

"I have noticed that you have developed a rather interesting relationship with him," Günsche muttered, half to himself. Krebs cocked his head, and Günsche instantly jerked up. "Apologies. I implore you - try. Maybe you can do something that I cannot, or that we cannot."

 _Maybe it really is up to me._ Krebs padded away from Günsche, keeping his head down. The bunker was silent - the only thing that Krebs heard was his boots stomping against the floor. But as he stood outside Burgdorf's door, he suddenly realized that Günsche was right.

There really was nothing he could do.


	12. Chapter 12

A few days later, the soldiers grudgingly returned from setting Würzburg on fire. Krebs had been uneasy for days on end, but he knew that all of Burgdorf's retainers were gathered in a dining hall, alongside the soldiers. Krebs was about to make his way there. He wanted to see the outcome of the situation, and how Burgdorf would react.

Prior to the fire being set, Krebs had just learned that the leader of the troops in Würzburg had lived in the city. Burgdorf's aim was to kill all of the soldiers, and especially the leader. But from what he had heard, the leader had been driven to suicide, not wanting to be captured by Burgdorf and his troops. _Huh._

Worst of all, to add to the story, the leader was Hitler's best friend. Hitler had locked himself in a room once learning of the betrayal from his friend, but Krebs knew that he could never truly put his friendship aside with him. But as he entered the dining hall, he realized that he could see Hitler pressed against the wall. His blue eyes were blurry, and he was slouched down. Krebs suddenly realized that Fegelein right next to him was supporting him with his shoulder. _Oh …_

In the center of the room stood Burgdorf. His sleek blonde hair gleamed in the dim light, and his uniform was smoother than ever. His sapphire eyes glittered, but Krebs couldn't see what emotion was there. Although he carried himself with pride, Krebs didn't know if that was truly what he was feeling. What if there was something behind that mask? Or did he really feel proud of what he had done?

"Troops," Burgdorf began, "we just secured a victory yesterday. That gives us more territory to expand, and one less enemy."

 _But that victory came out of blood. Was it worth it? You could've just taken some prisoner. They would've surrendered if they had to. There was no need to kill everyone, and you burned the entire town down. Was it needed?_ Krebs bit his lip to avoid shouting his protests out loud. He knew that Burgdorf would have his head on a silver plate, no matter their complicated bond.

"We have destroyed the town of Würzburg, therefore destroying their troops. They no longer exist. My only regret is that I wasn't the one to send Speer to his death. He took the coward's way out."

With that, Hitler fled, leaving the room. Fegelein and Goebbels exchanged shocked glances as Hitler scampered away. Krebs turned around, about to follow Hitler, but a voice stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Krebs looked back at Burgdorf. "I wanted to see if he was all right."

Burgdorf gazed at him, his eyes unreadable. "Don't leave while I'm in the middle of talking."

Krebs curled his lip. He glanced back at where Hitler had left. It probably wasn't a good idea to follow him. No, there was no way he was catering to Burgdorf's needs. If he _did_ think it was a good idea, he would've gone. But he didn't want to be the target of Hitler's wrath. Sighing, Krebs turned around.

Twitching, Krebs had to listen to Burgdorf's victory speech and how their troops were better than everyone else's. Finally, when the speech was over, Krebs glanced around, looking for Fegelein and Jodl. But they were gone. Intent on searching for them - and Hitler - Krebs pushed his way towards the garden of the bunker, hoping they were there.

They were. However, their lips were curled into frowns of concerns, and their eyebrows were furrowed, curving over their shadowed eyes. From their expressions, Krebs instantly knew that they had also went to check on Hitler.

"What did he say?" Krebs asked, walking over to Fegelein.

Fegelein glanced at him. "He didn't let us in."

Krebs took a deep breath between clenched teeth. "Locked himself in there?"

"Are you surprised?" Jodl countered.

"No, not really," Krebs muttered.

Fegelein kicked the ground with his boot, sending up a cloud of dust. "Damn it!" he snapped. "This is awful. I can't take much more of this! Burgdorf is nothing more than a-"

"Fegelein, if you have something to say to me, you can say it to my face." The voice came from Burgdorf, who was staring at all three of them, his blue eyes calm. Günsche was behind him, as still as ever.

Fegelein glanced at the dirt below him.

"No? Good. I have no problem throwing you out of here and into a war ravaged zone, so keep that in mind." Burgdorf turned away from them and started to walk back towards the bunker, leaving Günsche behind.

Günsche glanced at Fegelein. "You know better than that."

"Forgive me," Fegelein muttered.

The tall man shook his head sadly. "I know how you feel," he whispered under his breath, before walking away.

 _He's suffering from all of this too._

"He's the absolute worst," Fegelein snapped, but Krebs knew he wasn't talking about Günsche.

"Do you ever shut up?" Krebs hissed.

"What?" Fegelein's blue eyes smoldered.

"I'll have you know that Burgdorf was also conflicted too, until the very end!" Krebs snarled. "It's not like he wanted to do any of this. He really didn't, but he had no choice. War changes people."

"Yeah. You're right. War does change people." Fegelein lifted his neck. "And it's changed our noble general into nothing more than an inhuman monster." With his expression dark, the last few words were spat out before he stalked away.

Fegelein was gone, leaving just Jodl and Krebs. Jodl glanced at Krebs. "What now?"

Krebs clenched his fists. "I'm going to talk to him."

"Who? Burgdorf?" Jodl tilted his head.

"Yes."

"Do you want to keep all your limbs intact?" Jodl jerked his head back. "Because if you do, I advise so much as not going near him."

"Well, I have to try. Who will I be if I don't?" _Why do I feel as if after this, I'm going to have to try to talk to him more and more?_ "I'll be right back."

"Right back, yeah," Jodl muttered. "Without a head, I'm guessing."

"Why are you so _scared_ of him?" Krebs burst out. He couldn't stop remembering that day on the rooftop of the bunker, how Burgdorf had confessed his worries and his troubled past. Did no one else know? Did they only see Burgdorf as a monster?

"You heard him," Jodl said. "And I'm not scared of him. I'm just scared of what'll happen to you."

"Well, don't be," Krebs told him. "See you later." He walked away from Jodl and into the bunker, walking down every single hallway to try to find out where Burgdorf's room was. Memories flooded back into his head, and he eventually found himself in front of the feared general's door. He knocked on it, aware of his beating heart. _This time, Krebs, you are not going away. You didn't go before. Now you have to._

"Come in." The voice was weary, and for a moment, Krebs didn't even think it was Burgdorf. But he knew the high pitched tone in it belonged to him. Carefully, Krebs opened the door, preparing himself mentally. In front of him stood Burgdorf. His eyes were clouded, and he looked troubled in general. "What do _you_ want?"

"I just …" Krebs gazed at him. There was no fear inside of him anymore as he realized how exhausted Burgdorf looked, in comparison to the once cocky general that stood in front of a mass of people. "I just wanted to see how you were."

"Earlier today you wanted to see how Hitler was. Now you wanna see how I am. Anyone else to move onto? Did you check me off your list?"

 _And yet, you haven't lost your temper._ "Look, general," Krebs began, "there's something wrong here." _I really want to believe that person in the other room wasn't you._

Burgdorf glanced at him, and flopped down on his bed, twirling with his fingers. "They think I'm a monster," he whispered softly.

Krebs sat next to him, suddenly aware of his heart twisting in sympathy.

"Do you?" he asked.

This time, Krebs turned silent. Burgdorf turned his head away, obviously heart wrenched. "I knew it. But I can't blame you."

Krebs glanced at his feet.

"I had to do it," Burgdorf whispered. "Do you think I meant all of that? I didn't. Do you think I _wanted_ to? It's the farthest thing I wanted. Look, I have to live as the thing I hate the most, and I have to _act_ like the thing I hate." He hung his head, his ruffled blonde hair covering his eyes.

Krebs lifted his gaze from the floor to stare at him. "It's gonna be all right," he murmured. "Everything's gonna be all right."

Burgdorf turned to see Krebs once more, his blue eyes showing tranquility. _From my words?_ With that, Burgdorf squeezed Krebs' hand, leaving Krebs to feel warmer than he had in days.


	13. Chapter 13

The atmosphere of the bunker was chilly and tense. It had been this way ever since Burgdorf had announced setting fire to Würzburg. Now no one approached him unless it was absolutely necessary. Everyone feared him, and Burgdorf was well aware of that. All the people in the bunker talked about him, but behind his back. _He probably knows they're talking about him. But it's not like he can do anything about it._ Every turn Krebs took, he heard about how Burgdorf was "a monster" and how "he would stop at nothing." _I know it's not true._

Seeing it from his eyes, Krebs knew that he was putting on a mask, as Burgdorf was obviously suffering the most. He wondered if he was getting past the shield, past the guard, past the mask. Could it be possible that he was? He knew that Burgdorf was willing to become more open, and Krebs knew he would never stop trying.

Because he cared.

Although he hated to admit it, he cared about Burgdorf.

But he knew there was no one he could confess it to. He kept it inside of him as he waited outside of the planning room.

 _Was_ there anyone he could confess it to? No, Fegelein would never understand. A day before, he had called Burgdorf an "inhuman monster." Jodl would also find him insane, as he had genuinely feared for Krebs when he had announced he planned on talking to Burgdorf. Hitler? No. He was probably still fuming.

Maybe Günsche?

 _No._

There was something inside of him that told him that Günsche would not understand. _Maybe he'd understand, but I don't think he'd approve of it … I just don't know what he'd say. I know it won't be his favorite thing in the world. I don't want to upset him._

Knowing that he couldn't tell anyone, he let the feelings stir inside of his stomach, not exactly sure what to make of it. He pressed against the wall, waiting for more people to come. _Come on, come on. I don't have all day._

As Krebs narrowed his thoughts, he suddenly heard voices from across the hallway. Curious, Krebs followed the voices, and he halted as he saw both Traudl and Gerda. The two women were leaning into each other, whispering, and Krebs made out their words.

"What a monster. I heard he's getting ready to kill off everyone inside the bunker who doesn't agree with him." Traudl's voice was low.

 _Who the hell did you hear that from?_

"We will never be safe if he has divided us into the halls of our revolutionary," Gerda said.

 _He's trying to make us safe._

Traudl shrugged her shoulders, her lucious brown locks hanging over her eyes. The shade from the garden masked her worried complexion. "I don't know what to say. Some wounds never heal."

Krebs coughed, hoping to make his presence known. Traudl and Gerda swung their heads around, their eyes wide. When they noticed the appearance of the broad shouldered general, they glanced at the ground sheepishly and hurried away. Krebs snorted.

"Damn this," he muttered. "Damn all of it. Something has to be done, sooner or later. We can't let this go on like this anymore. He's _not_ scary." Troubled, he turned away from the garden and made his way back down to the hallway, wondering if anyone was there.

 _It's too dangerous to be left alone with my thoughts._ Krebs couldn't resist the urge to pass a hand through his wavy gray hair. He glanced at his palms, feeling anxiety rock his chest.

"What are you doing here?" A voice made Krebs freeze in his tracks. He turned around to see Hitler.

"Uh … what do you mean, what am I doing here?" Krebs inquired. "I'm waiting for planning?"

"Jesus, sometimes I think your mother must've dropped you on your head as a child," Hitler growled. "They're off again. They had to finish off another town - which, I don't even know what it is at this point."

"What?" Krebs exclaimed. "They went off _again?_ How did I not know?"

"Because you're an idiot," Hitler retorted dryly. "I thought we established that. Anyways, even though you're one of the biggest fools I've ever met, it's because there's no difference. Every day is a battle. It doesn't matter. And we've all been so busy lately, we don't even know. I guess no one thought to tell you, and, not to be rude or anything, but you've been so absent minded lately that I don't even know if you're all right." He pricked his ears. "If anything, I think they're back."

"I …" Everything was going too fast for Krebs to keep track of it. How was it _possible_ for soldiers to go off to war, and Krebs to not know about it? Maybe Hitler was right. Maybe he was too aloof to keep track of everything. "How do you know?"

"I hear them," Hitler said wearily. "Come on." He turned around, dragging his legs behind him. Krebs matched his rather slow pace, knowing that everyone was finding these countless battles exhausting.

Hitler and Krebs climbed up to the bunker and into the back of the bunker, where several injured soldiers laid. Krebs gasped, jolting back as he examined the blood pooling from each soldier's wounds. Several nurses and aids ran to their sides, beginning to wrap wounds and deliver medicine. Krebs turned to Hitler, who was watching the scene with tired eyes. Hitler glanced back at him. "This isn't surprising."

"Get these men some help!" Burgdorf yowled from where he stood in the clearing. He raced over to a nurse, and whispered something to her. The nurse nodded, and Burgdorf trekked away, disappearing into the bunker in a second.

Krebs spun away, knowing he had to look for Burgdorf. He raced down towards his room, and he took a deep breath as he realized the door was slightly open. Krebs peeked through the gap, seeing Burgdorf binding his arm with a cloth. Immediately, the blood turned it scarlet, making it clear that the wound was very deep.

He raced into the room, ready to treat the wound, but Burgdorf whipped his head around. "Leave me!" he howled, his shout shaking the walls. Krebs paused, but he glanced at the wound, and rushed to his side once more.

"I'm going to treat that wound!" Krebs exclaimed.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Burgdorf hissed, shoving Krebs away so that he toppled to the floor.

"What happened?" Krebs demanded, climbing to his feet.

Burgdorf snorted. "All I did was send everyone to their deaths." A grin was plastered on his face, one so chilling that it filled Krebs with absolute horror.

"But …" Krebs began.

"And why not? You know very well that Kronberg was allies with Frankfurt. They must've known about the slaughter in the village, and yet they let it happen. Every single one of them deserved to die."

"You wouldn't just kill everyone though!" Krebs exclaimed. _No … what if the man in the hallway … was him? No! This can't be true!_

Burgdorf stepped closer to him, his entire face stained with blood. "What do you know of me?"

Krebs began to tremble.

"You fool … you thought I was a good person, didn't you?" The look in Burgdorf's eyes turned Krebs' blood to ice. Inside those blue eyes burned a cold fire, one filled with malice and vengeance.

"It can't be!" Krebs shrieked again.

"You still know nothing," Burgdorf hissed. "I'll tell you this. You … you know that family you saw? Your family? Guess what? _My_ family sent them to their deaths. And I completely approved! So it was my fault! I sent your family to death, just like everyone else that deserved it."

Krebs was silent.

"And you know what else? Remember when I told you that my father was a ruthless man who wouldn't stop at anything in order to rule the country? Not even killing? That's who I am. I turned into him. I am that man I killed. And you know what I didn't tell you? I killed my two brothers after that! They were just like him, so I killed them! Now I'm the same as my family was! So get out of here, before you fall in love with a devil like me."

Krebs stared at Burgdorf in horror. Every word that had just spilled out of his mouth made him freeze, and he didn't know what to do. But it had to be something. For a split second, sadness flickered in Burgdorf's eyes. Trembling and forcing tears back, Krebs snapped out of his daze. "Is this how you plan to show me who you really are?"

The sadness turned to pure fury. "Get out!" Burgdorf snapped.

"Wh … what?"

"Did you hear me? I said, get out. Leave this bunker, and leave this town. See to it that you and I never cross paths again. If I so much hear you, I will find you, and I will make sure you wish you were never born."

Krebs stood there, bewildered as Burgdorf called out for his generals. He turned as a few of Burgdorf's retainers came rushing in.

One of them was Mohnke. "What's going on?"

Burgdorf whipped around to face Mohnke. "Take this fool out. See to it that he never steps foot near this bunker again."

Mohnke stared at Burgdorf, open jawed. Then he turned to Krebs, unable to mask his surprise as he led the general out of Burgdorf's room.

Krebs let him. Everything was happening so fast, he couldn't keep track of it. Nor could he keep track of the feelings that were turning and tossing like a storm inside of his body. Mohnke led Krebs out of the bunker and towards the bunker's entrance, and from there, Mohnke mounted his horse. He clearly meant to take Krebs somewhere, but Krebs' mind was still a total blank. What was happening, and what should he do?

Krebs climbed onto the horse, behind Mohnke, and watched the bunker disappeared in the horizon as the horse took the two men into the town below.

"You can get down here," Mohnke told Krebs as the two entered the town. "Go home."

"T-thanks," Krebs muttered.

Mohnke nodded and turned his horse away, letting it take him back towards the bunker. Krebs was still in a state of shock, but he straightened at the sound of a familiar voice.

"What happened?"

"Günsche!" Krebs straightened up, meeting the tall general with wide eyes.

"I was gone for a little bit," Günsche explained, jumping off of the horse he had appeared on. "So what happened?"

"I've been kicked again," Krebs snorted, letting himself chuckle bitterly.

Günsche stared at him, eyes wide. Then he regained his composure, and pointed towards a small diner in the edge of the town. "Are you hungry?"

 _Come to think of it …_ Krebs hadn't had anything fulfilling in quite some time, and at Günsche's request, his stomach growled. But Burgdorf's words still echoed in his mind. _I wouldn't be very comfortable there._ So he didn't answer.

Günsche tilted his head. "There's something else troubling you."

"He told me to get out …" Krebs rasped. "He was very clear. He kicked me out, and had Mohnke bring me away as well. So I don't think he wants me to remain in the town around him, either. He told me that."

"Around it," Günsche corrected him. "Not in it. You're not breaking anything. And there's no need to punish yourself more."

"Thank you." Krebs followed Günsche as he led him towards the diner in the town, however, Krebs couldn't shake his troubles away.

After their orders were taken, Krebs glanced restlessly around the diner.

"Are you still worried?" Günsche asked.

Krebs glanced at him. "Sorry …"

Günsche chuckled. At the same moment, a waiter arrived, with their food on two plates. "Well, let's eat."


	14. Chapter 14

"Huh." Krebs glanced at the small pastry Günsche was nibbling on. "Is that cheesecake?"

"Sure is," Günsche replied, looking up at Krebs. "Sweets soothe the heart, don't you know?"

"No. No, actually, I don't know that, but I can believe it." Krebs smiled warmly.

"Well, you should eat. It'll make you feel better," Günsche advised him.

"I guess you're right." Once Krebs began to eat his own food - a carrot cake he had ordered - he started to feel better. He _had_ been hungry. The sweet taste of the food began to settle in his stomach as he continued to eat. After a little while, Günsche took the opportunity to speak, making Krebs' ears prick.

"I don't expect you to tell me why Burgdorf got so angry, but now that you are here, do you have any objects to returning?" There was a light in Günsche's eyes as he spoke.

Krebs stared at him. "What?"

Günsche smiled softly at Krebs' shock. "If it is your wish to leave, I want you to know that I am not trying to change your mind," he explained. "However, Burgdorf has always placed a lot of trust in you. I know it may not seem that way … but if we lose you because of one of his fleeting bouts of rage, it would be a great loss to the whole of a bunker." His voice was firm, and Krebs started to look for words to respond.

"Oh, Günsche, I'm not …" Krebs stiffened, suddenly realizing that this was Günsche's way of saying that he was willing to listen to Krebs. Taking advantage of it, Krebs spilled out everything that had led him to being thrown out of the bunker. He had to know why Burgdorf had changed like that so suddenly. When he had finished venting, it felt as if a huge weight that had been crushing his chest had been released. But there was still pressure. He knew the pressure wouldn't be relieved unless he went back to fix everything he messed up.

There was still something he had to know. Before letting Günsche speak, he burst out what he needed an answer to. "What … what happened at the battle of Kronberg?"

Günsche's brow raised ever so slightly, but he seemed to have no issue in explaining the issue. He took a deep breath before explaining. "Burgdorf was right when he said that they were an ally of Frankfurt, therefore meaning that they knew about the slaughter and had no objections towards it. Burgdorf's plan at first was to not have any casualties. So when he arrived, he ordered a surrender. Which they did."

"But it didn't go according to plan," Krebs rasped, knowing how this story was going to end.

"Correct," Günsche said. "It was all to get us right where they wanted us, for their attack. They had several hundreds of soldiers. We lost a great number of men. Burgdorf's righteous anger is what led to his command to kill them all. It was an unavoidable and tragic battle, with Burgdorf being betrayed." He frowned and stared at the table, his blue eyes shadowed. "But … there was one thing for me to be glad of … that Burgdorf at least tried to be merciful. And he only decided to do that because of you. He knew that you would've never approved of that, that you would've never wanted to see him like that. So he wanted to do it in a way that maybe you would've, if you were in his shoes. I believe that was his mindset."

 _Wasn't Burgdorf the one who said that he couldn't protect people with kindness? I know he said that once. But he still wanted to let the men surrender, even though he knew better._ But as Günsche explaining the reasoning behind Burgdorf's order for surrender, warmth stirred inside of Krebs' heart. _He … he wanted to give mercy to the people because he thought of me. He knew what I would do, and he used that to try to do the right thing._ "I never even knew of this battle," Krebs confessed.

"I do not blame you. Everything was going by so fast, I hardly knew of it until the day of," Günsche said. "That is how sudden it was. No one really knew. You can imagine how surprised we were."

Krebs sighed, thinking back to what Günsche said about Burgdorf ordering their surrender. "He tried to show mercy, and it ended in betrayal and failure." His heart ached for Burgdorf, for the regret he must feel. _They said they would surrender, but then they went back on their word and attacked him._

"Unfortunately, yes, this time," Günsche said. "But … I have hopes that the way Burgdorf approaches his next battles will be much different than it has been. And about your family? I do not know why Burgdorf said that. As far as I know, the bunker was not at war with anyone when that time had come. And even if they were, Burgdorf would have had no say in it. He would have been too young."

 _What? Then … then why would Burgdorf say he did something so horrible?_ Krebs' thoughts flashed back to Burgdorf's blood driven confession, in the room where his eyes had a wild light in them and a wicked grin on his face. _I knew that wasn't him in that room. I should've trusted him, no matter what. He broke down on me, because he wanted to push me away. He wanted to never see me again, because he didn't want me to see what he became._

Krebs straightened up, suddenly knowing what he had to do. Burgdorf hadn't been himself. He needed answers. He had to do something. He couldn't sit by and let Burgdorf struggle on his own. "I'm going back to the bunker!" he declared, running out of the shop. He darted away, glancing around. He had to leave. He had to go back.

Günsche watched Krebs leave from where he sat. "Burgdorf needs you with him," he murmured, "but I only tried to save his soul … because I do, too." The confession that he whispered painfully from the bottom of his heart was heard only to himself.

At this point, Krebs was running, trying to get to the bunker as quick as possible. His legs were aching, and he was struggling to catch his breath, but he had to get back before anything happened to him or Burgdorf. He glanced behind him as he heard hoofsteps, and he skidded to a halt. Günsche was on his trail, on top of his horse.

"Take my horse," Günsche told him. "It's faster than running." He pulled Krebs' hand up, and Krebs collapsed on the horse, gasping for air.

"Thanks," Krebs breathed. "I've had a lot of close calls. Fegelein, Jodl, all of them told me I'd lose my head talking to Burgdorf. But on this one … I'm definitely losing it, that's for sure." He sighed, putting his arms around Günsche's waist to stabilize himself. Günsche's gentle voice reached him through his back.

"Burgdorf would never hurt you … ever."

He sounded so confident, for one reason or another.

… _Günsche?_

Puzzled, Krebs rested his head on his shoulder to get a good look at his face. He was staring straight ahead, a pained smile on his face.

 _Oh …_

Krebs could think of nothing to say to him, nor could he shake the feeling that his curiosity made him see something he shouldn't have.

Günsche's horse began to run faster against the sky. The sun had already set, making the way for night. Stars glittered in the vast expanse of indigo as the bunker came into view. When the two reached the bunker, Krebs could see Fegelein rampaging around. The moment Günsche and Krebs came into view, Fegelein bolted over to them, his words spilling out of his mouth in astonishment.

"Krebs, I've been looking for you!" he shouted. "All I heard is that you were kicked out … _again._ " He spat out the last word. "Remembering what happened to you last time you were on your own, I was worried!"

 _Jesus Christ! I'm an adult!_ "Calm down," Krebs muttered, jumping down from the horse. "I'm sorry to make you worry." As Krebs explained everything to Fegelein, the older general began to turn red with fury.

"So why did you come back?" Fegelein demanded after Krebs had finished with his story. Krebs was well aware of Günsche listening to them.

"What?" Krebs stared at him.

"You should've gone back home when you had the chance," Fegelein hissed.

"But I want to stay and help!" Krebs exclaimed.

"Have you forgotten that you know _nothing_ about this war?" Fegelein's shout turned high pitched in the air, but as a voice joined behind him, both Krebs and Fegelein froze.

"What do we have here?" Krebs turned to see Himmler, who was perched on his own horse, behind Fegelein. Himmler glared at Günsche, who met his gaze steadily, but turned back to Krebs and Fegelein. "I came here to ask Burgdorf if he could spare some men, but what is going on? Could it be that he died?" His question was directed exactly at Günsche, accompanied with a knowing smirk.

Günsche rolled his eyes. "He is not dead, Himmler." A thinly veiled warning was laced in his voice.

"Pity. Maybe I should finish him off for all of you." Günsche's eyes narrowed at Himmler's comment, and Himmler snorted. "Don't look at me like that. Don't you tell jokes around here? But tell me what has happened."

Krebs explained everything again, with Fegelein piping in to add some things he had forgotten. Finally, when Krebs finished, Himmler's eyes widened. He pushed back his glasses, and gave Krebs an exasperated look. "Banished again, huh?"

"Well, I wouldn't say I was banished," Krebs began. "It was more … well, you know, a lot of things happened. And Burgdorf has a lot to deal with! So … I …"

"Hah!" Himmler threw his head back, chortling to the sky. "Didn't know someone would be crushing on Burgdorf. You know he's a mass murderer, right?"

"I just wanted to serve my general," Krebs growled.

"Oh, I'm sure you do," Himmler said, giving him a knowing look. Krebs glared back at him, leaving Himmler to chuckle. "The fact that you're so desperate to cover it makes it so obvious that you're absolutely smitten with him."

Heat began to flush up inside of Krebs, and he was aware that a blush was creeping on his cheeks. "You've got it all wrong!" he exclaimed. "My only intentions are-"

"Emotions like that are meaningless," Himmler spat, cutting him off. "It might get you some special attention, but other than that …"

 _What?_ Krebs took a steadying breath. "I don't care!" he snapped. "I'm going back to him! Whether _any_ of you like it!" His gaze spanned across the three men in front of him, who were all illuminated by the moonlight. Himmler was chuckling, while Günsche kept a straight face, and Fegelein's eyes were blazing. Turning away from them, with the cool air brushing against his sides, Krebs headed back to the bunker.


	15. Chapter 15

Krebs skidded to a halt in front of the bunker, where a tall soldier stood, hardly visible in the darkness. He glared down at Krebs, and stepped closer to the door. "Leave this place. You have been banished."

 _Huh?_

A second soldier padded next to the first one, looking even more menacing. "We have been given a direct order not to let you-"

The soldier's voice was cut off by an achingly familiar one. "Let him pass." Günsche had padded over from returning his horse.

"But …" The first soldier's protest trailed in the air.

"I'll take responsibility for him," Günsche said quietly, but forcefully enough for the two soldiers to pull back.

Once the soldiers were out of the way, Krebs groaned as Himmler raced over to them. "Excuse me for wanting to see him first, you two." His expression was grim as he brushed past Krebs and Günsche.

"He's certainly in a hurry," Krebs mused.

"He may not be used to things being this tense," Günsche explained.

Krebs glanced up at Günsche. "Now that you mention it, he _did_ say he was here for reinforcements …"

"That's right," Günsche said, "which would mean …" He paused. "It will not be long before Himmler's forces join us to face Frankfurt."

Krebs sucked in a breath. _So we're back at war again._

Someone appeared in front of the bunker, and as Krebs peered closer, he recognized Goebbels. He was preparing a palanquin with some servants. Krebs tilted his head. _Where could he be going in the middle of the night?_ But the moment he saw Himmler, he instantly spoke to him.

"What? Himmler?" Goebbels padded over to Himmler.

Himmler stopped, putting a smile over his previously grim expression. "Well! If it isn't Goebbels himself! Got yourself another promotion, I see."

"Who would've thought," Goebbels said. He glanced at Krebs, his sunken eyes widening with surprise. "You're back? I heard you were dismissed. There's no reason for you to stay here."

"I'm not leaving!" Krebs snapped.

"What?" Goebbels tilted his head. "You're not going back … even though he fired you?"

Günsche stepped in again. "I plan on discussing matters with him."

"Then go with him," Goebbels ordered Krebs. "We'll take care of matters out here." He nodded to Himmler.

"Don't rip each other to pieces," Krebs muttered. He followed Günsche into the bunker, and Günsche headed straight for Burgdorf's room. When Günsche knocked on the door, there was no response.

Günsche sighed. "Let's go look for him. Krebs, stay with me. We cannot let you be alone until you have his permission to stay here."

"Okay," Krebs said. He glanced at Fegelein, who had been following them ever since they left Goebbels and Himmler behind.

"Check the battle rooms," Günsche ordered Fegelein.

"Understood," Fegelein said.

"We'll check the garden." Günsche led Krebs away, back outside the bunker, into the garden, searching for Burgdorf.

Fireflies chirped in the sky, and mosquitoes buzzed around the air. The cool night breeze was refreshing to Krebs. As the two spanned out over the garden, Krebs looked up towards the bunker. "What if he's on the roof?" he asked.

"The roof?" Günsche walked over to him.

"Yeah." A sudden wind kicked up the sand from near the bunker's walls, sending it straight into Krebs' eyes. "Ah!" Unable to open his eyes, he stumbled over the rocks set up in the garden. But before he hit the ground, he was caught in a warm, strong embrace. _Huh?_ Krebs opened his eyes to see Günsche.

"Are you all right?" Günsche asked, his eyes wide.

Krebs coughed. "Yes, I just got some sand in my eyes."

"Let me see." Günsche leaned him back in his arms, placed a hand on his chin, and tilted his face to get a better look. "Stay still. I see it." He leaned in close, so close that their noses nearly touched. _Günsche!_

Still in Günsche's arms, Krebs heard the sound of footsteps. Krebs turned his head to see Jodl and Burgdorf.

Burgdorf stepped forward, looking straight at Krebs with his eyebrows arched curiously.

 _Oh no!_

"B-Burgdorf, this isn't …" As Krebs desperately tried to search for an explanation that would put him in Günsche's arms, Burgdorf just turned away, and started to walk down towards the bunker.

"Wait!" Krebs called, breaking away from Günsche. He raced towards Burgdorf. "This is just a misunderstanding! I couldn't see, and then I tripped, and then he was just …"

Finally, Burgdorf stopped, and turned towards him with a blank look. "Just who are you explaining this to?"

"What?" Krebs stared at him.

"What you choose to do with Günsche has nothing to do with me."

Günsche was silent.

"Come, Jodl." Burgdorf nodded to Jodl.

"General …" Günsche began.

"What?" Burgdorf turned, looking straight at Günsche. Blue depths met blue depths as the two stared at each other.

"If it were me, I …" Günsche got cut off.

"There you are, Burgdorf. Finally come back, huh?" Himmler's voice was jovial from the other end of the garden. He walked towards Burgdorf, a smile on his face. "How have you been lately?"

"Take a wild guess," Burgdorf snorted. "What do you want?"

"As ruthless as your conversations as you are with your battles, General. Actually, my forces that I've sent to Frankfurt have been surrounded by neighboring cities' forces. Granted, they're small, but there are a lot of them." Himmler's expression turned grim.

"Don't you have allegiances forged with some of them?" Burgdorf asked.

"Well … speaking of that …" Himmler's voice trailed off. "Well, they didn't exactly find your last battle favorable. So there may be a bit over ten hundred thousand men coming over to attack us. If we do not do something now, it will fall in a matter of days."

"So you really aren't in the position to waste time," Burgdorf said.

"No." Himmler glanced at the ground. "Burgdorf, please, I beg of you, join Hitler's ranks with ours, and help us."

Burgdorf's face twisted, and he curled his lip. "Those pricks at Frankfurt. No one would care if they all drowned in their own blood." He straightened his body, puffing out his chest. "We need a strategy. Now."

As they turned to leave, Krebs couldn't stop himself. "Burgdorf!"

Although the general didn't turn around, he spat words from behind his back. "Disgraceful lowlife. Get out."

 _He's not even going to let me beg for forgiveness. Great._

"Krebs …" Krebs turned to see Günsche. Concerned, he stepped towards him.

"I really did make him hate me after all," Krebs rasped, staring at Günsche. Despite the pain, he smiled bitterly. _All I wanted was to give him a second chance, but I should've been more concerned about my own._ "Strange." Krebs realized that tears were falling down his cheeks. "Still must have some dirt in my eyes."

A flashback came to Krebs - one of Himmler's words. The ones that had been so cruel came flooding back.

" _Emotions like that are meaningless. It might get you some special attention, but other than that that …_ "

 _I've been wrong from the start, haven't I? I really am just a fool._ Unable to keep up with the flood of tears, Krebs stood there, wiping them away as they soaked through his uniform sleeve.

Günsche spoke. "I have no doubt that you belong here. The bunker needs you."

"But he called me a disgrace," Krebs whispered, his voice so broken that he didn't know if Günsche heard him.

"You're not the only one trying to be strong all the time," Günsche said. "Go see him when things have settled down … and you'll see."

"Don't concern yourself with me," Krebs murmured. "Just go."

Günsche let out a long, pained sigh. With all the strength he seemed to have, he pulled himself away from Krebs, and Krebs could only assume that he was going to join Burgdorf with their next move.

Krebs stood in the garden, not knowing how long he was there. The moon was still glowing in the sky when Jodl's face appeared in the garden. "Hey, Krebs!" he called.

The sitting general leaped to his feet, flinching in shock. "Jodl!" he exclaimed.

"Come on." Jodl nodded to the bunker. "Let's go back in your room."

"What?" Krebs stared at him. "But …"

"You need to rest," Jodl said. "Just shut up and listen to me, for once in your goddamn life." He led Krebs back into the bunker, and into his original room. The frigid air of the outdoors was replaced by the stuffy atmosphere of the bunker, but Krebs couldn't imagine anywhere else he would want to be.

"Thanks," Krebs murmured.

"Please feel better," Jodl said, the worry clear on his face.

"I'm fine," Krebs told him. "Absolutely fine."

"You are not. I can see it on your face. A real shame." Jodl sighed. "I don't know, Krebs. Earlier today, I went into town with Burgdorf. We met with one of the merchants from Austria. You should've seen him! So moved by such a little town. How lucky we are to live here. There's no finer place in all of Germany. Seeing it in someone's eyes really …" Jodl's voice trailed off, and he settled himself next to Krebs. He looked straight in his eyes, deadly serious. "That must be why … despite everything … you still came back."

Krebs gazed back at him. "It was a mistake."

"That's not true at all!" Jodl exclaimed. "In Burgdorf's heart … I know he was hoping you would return."

"Sure he was," Krebs scoffed.

"We all need you," Jodl said. "After all, you're the only one who understands Burgdorf even more than I do."

"But I don't," Krebs countered. "I'll just go back home, and give Burgdorf what he wants."

"I see," Jodl murmured. "But you should know that it's been awful for all of us. Ever since he threw you out, he's been in the most awful mood." He gave Krebs a troubled smile. "He was like the old Burgdorf again. Not just to me, but to everyone. It's plain as day. He loses all sense of himself without you."

 _What?_

"But Burgdorf has always been that type of man," Jodl went on. "He could never just be honest with himself." He sighed, as if he had wanted to say that to someone for longer than Krebs knew.

Krebs remembered back to when Burgdorf had confessed everything to him. _I want to believe the man I knew is still in there … somewhere._ "I … I want to know if the real Burgdorf is in there somewhere, Jodl."

Jodl smiled faintly, relief in his eyes. "I will call for you when the time is right. But this will be your last chance."

"I know …" Krebs swallowed. Jodl's words registered deeply into Krebs' mind. Krebs stared at his shoes, unable to say anything else.

"If you get yourself killed, I'll see you in Hell, Krebs." Jodl drew a finger across his neck with a grin, jokingly, but considering who Burgdorf and the others were up against, it really wasn't so funny.

A few hours later, when the sun had risen, Krebs and Jodl were back in the main hall, watching the war gathering.

Burgdorf was in the center. "I have agreed to aid Himmler and send reinforcements to stand against the armies of Frankfurt. See that you are prepared to fight."

Krebs sighed. Another great war was set to begin. General Burgdorf was to stand against the unstoppable forces of Frankfurt. Although there were dismayed murmurs in the crowd, Burgdorf continued to go on. "Gather as many weapons as you can. Tanks, artillery, guns, anything. We'll need all we can have."

"They'll need them," Jodl murmured, next to Krebs. "We've seen what this city is capable of."

"Yeah," Krebs murmured. "Yeah, we have. But … so many men, and so many weapons."

"What other choice do we have?" Jodl asked. "This battle will be like none we have ever faced before. Surely, it will be far worse, regardless of the outcome."

Hearing that made Jodl's assertion that this would be Krebs' last chance with Burgdorf sound even more grim.

 _This battle may be the last one he sees. No. I can't let that happen._

After the meeting had ended, Jodl had called for Krebs again. Krebs' 'last chance' had finally come. Jodl was now leading Krebs towards the war room, where nowadays, Burgdorf could often be found.

When Jodl and Krebs stopped there, Jodl turned to Krebs. "Bring Burgdorf back to us." He pushed Krebs forward, and shut the door.


	16. Chapter 16

Krebs climbed up the top of the bunker onto the roof, to see Burgdorf. This was where he had been sent to, since Burgdorf hadn't been in his room. A few alcohol cups were laid littered around him. _Alcohol? But since when?_ He studied Burgdorf more intently. His hair was frizzy, and his cheeks were red. _Has he been drinking or not?_

Curious, Krebs studied the amount of cups. _There are three. Why three?_ Despite the one cup Burgdorf had in his hand, there were three others, arranged in a perfect circle. He was talking to himself as he continued to poor what seemed like vodka in all of the cups.

"Strength," Burgdorf muttered to himself, "give it to me. The opponent we face is too strong for me to handle it on my own."

 _Who is he talking to?_

It was obviously someone Krebs couldn't see, but Burgdorf continued to ramble on.

"You did well," he murmured.

 _Who?_

"Don't worry about anyone. But, say, Johannes, if you were alive, what would you do in my place? To win this war?"

 _His family! The family he killed! He's drinking with his dead brothers … the other two must be his other brother, and his father. And … despite everything … he's still …_

Burgdorf's face was calm, nothing like the screwed up canvas of rage Krebs had seen earlier. Krebs rubbed at his eyes, feeling the tears start to come again. _Oh no …_ He suddenly gasped as his grip loosened, and he shut his eyes, knowing what was going to come.

"Jodl, I thought I told you to leave me alone." Burgdorf's voice was curt. Hearing the gasp, he turned around, scowling. When he recognized Krebs, his eyes burned, and he leaped to his feet. "Why are you here? What are you trying to do?" His voice deepened, and Krebs' heart suddenly rocked in his chest as he realized that he was reaching for his gun in his holster.

Krebs winced at the hard look in his eyes and the movements of his hands. He tightened his grip on the roof, praying to God that he wouldn't fall. _He's so terrifying with the gun._ Somehow, he managed to hoist himself over the roof from where he had once dangled and faced Burgdorf.

"I'm … I'm here to keep my promise," Krebs said. "To serve you until the day I die, to believe in you."

"When did I make you promise that?" Burgdorf asked.

"It's the promise we all have to make when serving a new general. That's what I made to you." Krebs took a deep breath.

Burgdorf was silent. Without another word, he drew his gun, stepping closer to Krebs. "I'll see you dead, you fool," he snarled. "Just who do you think you are? I'll slaughter you like the filthy scoundrel you are."

With his eyes focused on the barrel of the gun, and his trembling, Krebs spoke regardless. "I … I'm not going anywhere! Not until I see you home, just like you commanded me to … and like I've wanted to, ever since we walked the town together."

"I told you to leave me!" Burgdorf roared. "If you won't listen to me, then hear this!" He rose his gun into the air, pressing it against Krebs' throat. Krebs froze, his eyes widening as Burgdorf went on. "I don't care for your games, or how you self righteously harp on about how you know everything!"

"I don't know everything!" Krebs shouted back. "But I do hate the direction that this war is going in, and the men who insist on fighting them!"

"Well, that's it then," Burgdorf said, chuckling. "I'm the man you hate. The one who killed your family and countless innocents. So why are you still here?"

"Liar!" Krebs shouted at him. "I know you didn't kill my family. So why would you tell such a lie? All I want from you … is to understand who you truly are!"

"What?" Burgdorf tilted his head, but the malicious glint in his blue eyes didn't leave. "You want to know my heart? I have no heart. Do you really wish to die by my hand that badly?" The gun came even closer, pressing against Krebs' throat. A chill ran down his spine, every beat reminding him that the gun was there.

 _He's actually going to do it. He's actually going to kill me._ Krebs clenched his eyes shut. _Is this really the end?_ But there was no sound from the gun. When Krebs opened his eyes, Burgdorf was staring at him, sorrow in his eyes. Krebs gazed straight into them.

"I believe in you," Krebs whispered softly.

"Damn you," Burgdorf muttered. He lowered his gun and stared at the ground, mumbling to himself. "Damn you for believing in someone like me, wanting to comfort me." He staggered unsteadily backwards, a hand in his hair. He bit down on his lip as it trembled, and before Krebs knew it, his arms were around his waist.

"Let me go, or I'll kill you." Burgdorf's voice was so faint Krebs could hardly hear him.

Krebs just held him tighter, grasping his shoulders.

"Let me go," Burgdorf repeated.

"Never," Krebs said.

Burgdorf stared at him.

"Even if you kill me," Krebs began, "I'll still go to my grave, believing in you."

Burgdorf's gun fell to the floor with a loud clatter as he embraced Krebs powerfully.

"I have too many enemies," Burgdorf confessed. "If I stop fighting, I'll lose everything. But, if I keep fighting, my generals, and you, will be …" The more Burgdorf said, the tighter his embrace became. "How many people had to die? I tried to save them, I tried to change, to show mercy, but it meant nothing." He gripped the back of Krebs' uniform, his hands shaking.

 _He's not the devil. The only reason he's had to fight all this time … is because he insists on saving the world on his own._

"Stop suffering your wounds alone." Burgdorf's embrace loosened at Krebs' words, and his hands dropped away.

"Wounds?" Burgdorf tilted his head. "You fool, just who do you think you're talking to?" As he smirked, a single tear fell down his cheek. _Oh, Burgdorf …_ Krebs doubted he even noticed. But it may be due to the relief that he finally felt he had a confessor for his deepest, darkest secrets.

The stars continued to glitter in the sky as Burgdorf and Krebs stared at each other.

"I'm going to keep fighting," Burgdorf went on. "But the only one I do not want to see amongst the chaos I bring upon myself is you."

Krebs was silent. _He never wanted me to see him as others did. That's why he pushed me away so many times. But I … kept coming back._ Burgdorf's shoulders slumped, as if the weight of his confession was too much to bear.

"No matter who you are, or what you are, I will never hate you," Krebs declared.

"Krebs …" Burgdorf looked up, and when he did, Krebs saw the face of a man who had begged him not to betray him.

Krebs gently wiped his tears away, and finally, Burgdorf smiled at him. Krebs grinned back at him. "Only a fool would be brave enough to keep coming back time and time again when the great Burgdorf has told him to go."

Burgdorf finally stepped away from him. "It seems as if the night air has cleared my head. Will you join me?"

"I will." Krebs was unable to do anything else, and sat next to Burgdorf as the two looked up at the beautiful moon above them. Burgdorf sat as silently as ever, but this time, he had his arms around Krebs' shoulder, and he didn't let go.


	17. Chapter 17

Please stop me.

Jodl and Krebs were now in the hallway of the bunker, watching as the men made the last preparations for war. Krebs shut his eyes as he tried to block out the sorrowful conversations of the soldiers. _None of them are here because they enjoy bloodshed. If this is the only way to protect what they love, they must fight._

 _And so must I._

Krebs was now applying a fresh bandage to Burgdorf's wound. Burgdorf flinched at the obvious sting. "Ow!" he snapped. "You fool, I just need a bandage, not another wound!"

Sighing, Krebs rolled his eyes. "And who's going to be the fool if the bandage loosens in battle and falls off, huh?"

"You … just who do you think …"

"It doesn't matter! Just stay still." Krebs could hear the chuckling of Jodl in the background as Krebs and Burgdorf bickered in the corner of the room.

Finally, Burgdorf gave up arguing and sat down, mumbling as Krebs continued to redress his wounds. When Krebs finished, Burgdorf changed into his soldier uniform, and when he was done, he carried the severe, ruthless look of a warrior. He got to his feet, and Krebs looked up at him.

"Be safe, Burgdorf," Krebs murmured.

Burgdorf glanced back at him. "I will come back to you alive, I swear. Once I do … be ready for what you will hear." Without leaving Krebs to speak, he turned on his heel and left the room.

Jodl and Krebs were the only one behind, and they exchanged uncertain glances.

"It will be all right," Jodl assured him. "Burgdorf's bound to win. Let's await the news with a smile on our faces."

"Right …" Krebs said. _He'll come back alive. I know he will._

Days passed as Krebs assisted Jodl with his duties around the castle. But as each sunrise dragged on, Krebs could not help but be worried about Burgdorf. The longer he was gone, the more anxious Krebs became.

Finally, a messenger came from the front. Krebs and Jodl raced over to meet him, and when he had regained his breath that he had obviously run out of, he breathed out the new that Krebs and Jodl had been waiting to hear. "Our armies are victorious."

Krebs and Jodl exchanged triumphant glances.

"They did it, Krebs!" Jodl exclaimed.

"Leave it to Burgdorf," Krebs said. "Nothing can bring them down." He glanced behind him, inside of the bunker, and heard all of the men left behind cheering. _The first step to victory._

The following day, Burgdorf and Himmler's armies returned. The first person Krebs and Jodl rushed to see was Burgdorf. Burgdorf padded over to them, smirking. "We got rid of Frankfurt, once and for all."

Soldiers behind him shouted their victory, while Burgdorf just listened. He nodded to Krebs. "Come with me."

Krebs glanced at Jodl, who nodded. He followed Burgdorf towards his horse, and Burgdorf mounted it quickly. He reached out his hand towards Krebs, and pulled him effortlessly on the horse.

"Wha-" Krebs was cut off by Burgdorf.

"I am in great debt to all of you," he called towards his soldiers. "Rest today." Burgdorf spurred his horse, leaving Krebs and Burgdorf to gallop away from the bunker.

"Burgdorf!" Krebs exclaimed.

"Shut up," Burgdorf said.

 _Wait … I've been here before._ Krebs took a deep breath as he realized that Burgdorf had taken them to where he had bought his map from. As they reached the town's entrance, Burgdorf jumped off his horse, looking around.

The villagers started to emerge from their houses, excitement in their eyes. "General!" shouted one of them. "We just heard of your victory. Congratulations!"

A large crowd of the villagers started to gather around Burgdorf, cheering for him. Burgdorf let out a small smile, before turning to Krebs. "Come. I've something to show you."

Krebs tilted his head. _I wonder what it could be._ Instead of asking, he followed Burgdorf away into a shop in the town. _Wait … could this be the map store?_ He skidded to a halt in front of it. _It is!_

Inside of the shop laid several maps that were spanned out in front of him. Not just ones of Germany, but ones of every country in the world, including galaxies and oceans. Krebs couldn't take his eyes off of them.

Burgdorf smirked, his voice snapping Krebs out of his daze. "Pick whatever you want."

"But-"

"Just pick something."

"Are you sure?" Krebs stared at him. _I can't let him do this!_

"I wouldn't be wasting my time if I wasn't." Burgdorf tapped his foot. "But now you're wasting it. So just pick something."

Krebs felt as if he was about to have a field day. He didn't know how long he was taking to search the entire shop for the perfect map, but Burgdorf didn't seem to mind. Instead, he watched him from a distance, a small smile on his face.

Returning to him with a map of Russia, Burgdorf glanced at him. "Huh? This country?"

"Indeed." Krebs cradled it. "It's home, you know."

Burgdorf smiled. "I'm home." He gazed into Krebs' eyes, capturing them.

"Welcome ho-" Krebs' words was cut off by Burgdorf fastening his lips on his, in a desperate, aching kiss. Around them, the village cheered. The moment he was captured in was as eternal of the legacy of the man Krebs loved.


	18. Chapter 18

"I'm glad you came back to us," Goebbels said, patting Krebs on the back. Krebs huffed at the impact.

"Yeah. Burgdorf was surprisingly accepting of it as well," Fegelein added.

"What?" Krebs turned to Fegelein. "You were going at me for coming back."

Fegelein looked down. "Well … It's great that you're here with us. Burgdorf is a _little_ less annoying."

Krebs chuckled. _They haven't changed a bit._ However, inside, his mind was reeling from how quickly things were moving along. A few days ago, he had been banished and left for dead. Now, he was accepted back into the bunker. Even due to the turmoil, and his new feelings, he couldn't quite place his finger on why he was so feverish. "Well … I'm gonna go." It was getting dark, and he should be returning to his room. He walked away from the three men and headed back into the bunker. But before he could enter, he bumped into Günsche.

"Are you all right?" Günsche asked, tilting his head. "You look warm." He placed a hand on his forehead, narrowing his eyes. "And you do have a bit of a temperature. I have medicine I can give you."

"No!" Krebs exclaimed. "No, it's fine. I'm fine."

"Are you?" Günsche countered.

"I'm just a little … warm. That's it. Yeah." Krebs shut his eyes, knowing that Günsche could see right through him. As he tried to put together a better excuse, he was suddenly aware of Hitler's presence.

"Bet you are," Hitler purred. "I guess you and Burgdorf are going to make up for some lost time." He clasped Krebs' on the back, letting out a chortle.

"Yeah. Thanks to Günsche." Krebs nodded gratefully towards the tall man, who stood, not saying anything.

"Really now?" Hitler asked.

Krebs nodded. "I'd never be able to get past the door on my own."

"Oh, what a gentleman you are!" Hitler turned to Günsche. "The honorable one strikes again."

"It was nothing." Günsche played it off the best he could, but Krebs could tell that his smile was more pressed than it usually would be.

"Anyways, what are you doing out here so late?" Hitler asked Krebs.

"Ah … I'm just … not really sure what to do now. I mean, I know I should go find Burgdorf, because I really just want to let him know how I've missed him, and everything …"

"Oh dear." Hitler chuckled. "Well, don't let me intrude." Hitler seemed to be enjoying this, but Günsche just stood there, the same smile on his face. _Günsche?_

"I have to go." Krebs walked away from them, his heart tugging, as he found himself back in his room. He sank into his sheets, and shut his eyes.

The next day, Burgdorf and his generals held a victory feast. It seemed as if Burgdorf was closer than ever to helping Hitler reunite all of Germany. Although Burgdorf's men had once tried desperately to distance themselves from every move he had made, they now again seemed to try and help them in his goal. He had been called a devil time and time, but that was when his men had truly believed that he was a monster. _Even after everything he's done._

Krebs was in the hall, watching the victory. But he didn't want any part in it. He headed outside to the garden for some fresh air, breathing in the night wind. In the distance, Krebs made out a figure. _Is that who I think it is?_

He padded closer, and it was. Günsche was slumped over, his breathing labored, more tired than Krebs had ever seen him.

"Um …" Krebs cleared his throat.

Günsche looked up, his eyes wide, but when he realized it was Krebs, he smiled kindly. "Is something the matter? The feast should still be going on."

"I just wanted to get some air, that's all," Krebs said.

"I see …" Günsche nodded. "You must be tired, but it is thanks to you that they are all enjoying themselves. You may sit here, if you like."

Krebs sat next to him on the steps to the bunker. "They're not holding anything back in there, are they? Even the ones who were terrified of him earlier … can't wait to see him rule."

"Surely they have every reason to celebrate," Günsche said. "The world is more aware of our might than ever before. However, we still have enemies. Burgdorf cannot afford to let his guard down when it comes to these alliances."

Krebs gazed at him. _Even at a time like this, Günsche can't bring himself to celebrate._ He sighed, sitting for a little longer with the general, before getting up. "I'm gonna go look for Burgdorf."

"Oh." Günsche's voice was faint, and as Krebs looked at him, he realized that there was regret in his eyes. _Oh …_ "All right. Tell me if he is okay."

"Will do." Krebs swallowed, unable to face the magnitude of pain in Günsche's eyes. "Günsche …"

Günsche looked at him.

"I'm sorry." Those were the only two words Krebs could force out. "If things turned out different, I …" Krebs didn't know what else to say.

Günsche didn't say anything. All he did was give Krebs a pained smile, and even in that smile, Krebs knew he could never understand what Günsche was feeling. There were so many things left unsaid. But they couldn't be spoken.

He headed back into the bunker to look for Burgdorf, but he wasn't there. The only other place Krebs could think of was the roof of the bunker, where he had found him before. Sighing, Krebs left the bunker and climbed up the roof. Sure enough, Burgdorf was sitting over the edge. Quietly, Krebs sat next to him.

"I gather it is easy for them to enjoy themselves if I am not there." Burgdorf didn't even move.

"Is that why you're up here?" Krebs asked.

Burgdorf didn't answer. But his fingers brushed against Krebs', and their hands clasped, as naturally as anything. As his comforting warmth seeped into Krebs' skin, he could not help but recall his earlier conversation with Günsche.

 _He said that Burgdorf couldn't let his guard down, even now. Maybe Burgdorf will keep suffering like this forever. And … if he does … I'm sure he'll be facing death again more than once._

"Burgdorf? After you and Hitler rule the country, how long will it take for all of this to end?" Krebs asked.

Burgdorf's nostrils flared. "Are you really that stupid?"

"What?" Krebs pulled back.

"There's no such thing," Burgdorf said. "Becoming a ruler is just the first step to a new world."

Krebs sighed. "So it'll never end, then."

"Don't look at me like that," Burgdorf muttered as Krebs focused both eyes on him. "There are certain things I can put an end to." He gazed in the distance. "There will be no stopping me. I will show all of you a world where there is no need for war." He glanced over at Krebs, his expression brimming with confidence. "Stand with me until the end."

"No matter where you go, I will be there," Krebs declared courageously. Burgdorf grinned.

"Honestly, though," Burgdorf said. "Even a man like me gets a little tired of all of this."

Krebs was silent.

"You're the one who will always give me strength … like this." He cupped Krebs' cheek in his hand, tilted his face to the side, and kissed him gently.

Once it started getting too dark to see, the two decided it was best to leave. _I don't want to leave him, though. Not yet._ Krebs was barely able to force a goodbye as he climbed off of the roof. "Good night," Krebs murmured.

As Burgdorf helped Krebs down, he held his gaze. "Good night." His eyes were so calm, so gentle. Krebs didn't know someone like him could've ever looked like that. As the two stared at each other, Krebs began to remember everything they had gone through together. _Even after all the insults, after the turmoil … I wonder when he decided he didn't hate me._

Krebs took a deep breath, but Burgdorf seemed to have something else to say.

"Krebs …" Burgdorf began.

Krebs gazed at him.

"I love you."

The three words made Krebs' heart stop. Blood rushed to his ears as his limbs began to turn numb. He stared at Burgdorf, his mouth dry, unable to find any words.

"Well?" Burgdorf tilted his head, grinning. "You have nothing else to say to me?"

Krebs shook his head. "I … I love you too."

Burgdorf lifted his chin. "If Death ever wants you, he'll have to go through me first." He placed his lips on Krebs' without any warning. His gentle, loving kiss carried a distinct sweetness that was his and his alone. It spread through Krebs' body, filling his heart.

That was when Krebs knew that no matter whatever fights they would get in, whatever turmoil would come across them during the war, he would always and forever have Krebs' love.


	19. Author's Note

It's 4:38 AM and I just finished writing this. Anyways, thanks for putting up with me guys. This was extremely fun to write and definitely one of my favorites. I'd like to maybe make some more AUs like this (very similar, but different plotlines I guess. Different enough.) So yeah. After this we'll have Lost's last chapter, should be up soon, and probably another new story that will focus very heavily on everyone. Thanks for reading.


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